Missing Mulund student: Family flips, but no clean chit from police

Brother of missing TYBCom student from Mulund says he has called family from Delhi, but police and anti-terror sleuths confiscate his computer and continue their probe

Missing Mulund youth Jagdish Parihar, 23, has probably left the country, police sources said yesterday, even as a search for him in all possible locations continued. His brother Bhavesh, however, rubbished the claim, saying Jagdish is in India as he himself called them and said so.

Speaking to mid-day exclusively, Bhavesh said, "He called us via WhatsApp on Thursday and said he was missing all of us, and that he hasn't gone abroad and is in India (somewhere near Delhi). He also said he is just clearing his head.

"We got scared after realising that he had taken his passport with him, and hence, informed the police. But now that we have spoken to him, we are happy knowing he is safe."

Brother explains
On Jagdish chatting with a girl on social media, Bhavesh clarified that he's already told the police that that's an old story from years ago and their father had already scolded him for it.

When asked why Jagdish had formatted his computer if he hadn't done anything wrong, Bhavesh explained that as an old habit of his. "He always cleared the history once he was done using the computer. He'd told me that this enabled the system to run at a good speed," he added.

"We are even searching for a match for him, but he's not ready to get married. A few days ago there had been an argument at home over this, but I don't think that's the reason he left home. I know my brother, we are best friends; he won't do anything." Elder sister Mamta said, "He (Jagdish) called and spoke to father as well as Bhavesh. He said he was safe and would return in a few days. So we are breathing easy now."

No clean chit yet
The Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), however, aren't and are still trying to get his exact location. An officer said, "His passport was issued in 2016-17. We have forwarded all the information to the immigration department to get his journey details."

Sources believe he may have flown to a country in the Middle East. The police have also seized his computer and given it to cyber experts for a detailed analysis and to get a clearer picture on his social media activities.

Also Read: Was missing Mulund student radicalised? Family suspect woman's involvement

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