A lawyer has gone missing under mysterious circumstances in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district and his family suspects that he has been kidnapped, the police said on Sunday.
A major search operation has been launched to locate the lawyer, who had left home in Khurja Nagar on Saturday evening with some associates but have not returned, officials said.
"Dharmendra Chaudhary, a practising lawyer here, had left with some of his associates. Around 10.45 pm his phone was found stitched off and he has not returned home since."
"His family approached the police and an FIR has been lodged under IPC section 364 (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder)," senior senior police official, Bulandshahr, Santosh Kumar Singh said.
He said a combing operation was launched on Saturday night which was underway even on Sunday evening.
Dog squads were pressed into service and hundreds of locals too chipped in for the search operation.
"During the search, Chaudhary's motorcycle was found abandoned at a place around five to seven-km from his phone location. While technical surveillance was put in use, dog squads were also called in which have led the police to a dense jungle near some sugarcane farms," Mr Singh said.
The district police chief said around 150 to 200 locals from Khurja Nagar have come forward to help the police in the search for the lawyer. He expressed hope that Mr Chaudhary's whereabouts would be tracked soon.
Digital Attendance Of Teachers Suspended Till Further Orders In Uttar Pradesh Woman Set On Fire By Son In UP, Suffers 40% Burn Injuries: Cops 8 Killed In Rain-Related Incidents In Uttar Pradesh In Last 2 Days Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms BJP Subtly Asking Ajit Pawar To Quit "Mahayuti": Sharad Pawar's NCP Biden Says Could Drop Election Bid If "Medical Condition" Emerged Russia Says It's Ready To Work With Any US Leader 3 People Die After Drowning In Lake In Telangana: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.