THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If she was around, Ligo Skormane would have been busy doing the final lap of shopping with her sister Ilzie. The two had a return flight to London on Wednesday. Upon landing, the duo was planning a family get together in London, where their parents were to join from Latvia, and then a birthday bash. Ilzie will turn 32 on Friday.Now, confined to her hotel room near Thampanoor, Ilzie isn’t even bothered about cancelling the tickets. “How can I be preoccupied with such silly things?” she asked.
“I thought I would take a healthy Ligo with me so that on reaching London my parents would be happy seeing her,” Ilzie told Express, her eyes moist and voice cracking. “We had planned a birthday celebration also.”
It’s been more than a month since the disappearance of Ligo, now frequently referred to as the missing Latvian woman from Kovalam beach. The duo, hailing from Latvia and relocated to Ireland, were on a trip to Kerala to treat Ligo, who was suffering from insomnia and depression.Ilzie, the younger sister, who has been running from pillar to post to trace her sibling, said though a special investigation team was formed to probe the case, there has been no headway whatsoever.She felt had the police diligently investigated in the initial hours post her disappearance, the case could’ve been solved earlier.
“In the beginning, the police didn’t take the case seriously. For three days they kept on saying she would come back. When investigators feel the person who has been reported missing will come back without any probe and show complacency, then the investigation is never going to yield the desired result. The first few hours are crucial, if the officials swing into action during that time, there are more chances to solve the case,” she said.
Ilzie recently visited
Jesna Maria James’ family in Kottayam and found the family had a similar experience. Jesna, a college student, had gone missing while on the way to her aunt’s house almost a month ago.Ilzie said in Jesna’s case too, there was lethargy in the police investigation in the initial hours. The Latvian woman, who runs a beauty salon in Ireland, said she trusts the Kerala police and the complaints she had were not intended to upset their morale.“I am not blackmailing the police. But they should learn something from my sister’s case so that next time when there is such a situation, they can act fast and in a better manner,” she said.
The Latvian consulate has also engaged themselves in the case and have informed the matter to the country’s Foreign Ministry which has promised to take up the issue with their Indian counterparts.Ilzie ruled out the chances of her sister harming herself and suspected she might’ve been whisked away by someone from the beach. “She trusted people very much. That way she might’ve been tricked by someone who took advantage of her mental condition. People don’t disappear just like that. Not in broad daylight.”