KOCHI: With more and more man missing cases being reported every day, records show that 50 cases of persons missing under mysterious circumstances were reported in four the northern districts of the State in the last two years, according to investigating agencies. The police have started verifying such cases reported in Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.
“There are several instances wherein man-missing cases were not officially reported. The families of the missing persons are now coming up with complaints, and statistics show that more than 50 persons have gone missing under similar circumstances,” a senior investigating officer told ‘Express.’ According to the officer, there are several factors that made the relatives not to report the cases. “There is a social stigma related to missing cases. Hence, the relatives usually keep mum on them, especially if it is linked to conversion,” he added. Interestingly, no missing case is currently pending in the Malappuram district, to where four persons were deported from the UAE in September 2015 for alleged social media activity supporting IS and the Khalifite.
“In 2015, a person from a northern district approached the investigating agencies to trace his son and daughter, who had gone missing under suspicious circumstances. The parents information that both of them had gone to Iraq. Though we had initiated steps to trace them, the relatives asked us to drop the efforts as they wanted to discuss the matter with the other members of the family,” said the officer.