A family staying at a resort in the Bandipur of Karnataka's Chamrajnagar district has mysteriously disappeared into the woods, police said on Tuesday.
The missing persons have been identified as 40-year-old J. Nishanth from Bengaluru, his wife Chandana and their 10-year-old son.
According to Gundlupet Police, the family checked into the Country Club near Bandipur on March 2 and went missing the next day.
The family left the luggage in the resort's room, went out in a car and never returned. The police stated that the family had travelled in their car to Mangala Road in the Bandipur forest area and disappeared from there. The police have lodged a missing case.
Chamarajanagar SP B. T. Kavitha visited the resort with police officers and gave directions to the investigating officers.
The preliminary investigations have revealed that Nishanth had booked the room by giving a fake identity card claiming that he is an employee attached to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
During the inquiry, it came to the fore that Nishanth was unemployed. It is suspected that Nishanth had come to the resort to escape the torture by moneylenders. Preliminary investigations have led to the suspicion that Nishanth had taken heavy loans.
The police suspect that the creditors may have kidnapped the whole family or they would have walked into the forests.
The police said nothing could be said at this stage as the investigation is underway.
The police have launched a hunt in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mysuru city in Karnataka.
More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.
Earlier, a second-year Pre-University (PUC, Class 12) student went missing in Farangipete town near Bantwal, in Mangaluru district.
Infuriated Hindu organisations and the BJP observed a bandh condemning police "inaction".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
