Disappearance of Anoop: Police still clueless

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Forty-three days after his mysterious disappearance, the police and the family remain clueless about the whereabouts of a 21-year-old from Kollam who was undergoing army training in Bangalore.Alleging little cooperation from the Army, his mother Sathyadevi Amma, 47, had lodged complaints with the police departments of Kerala and Karnataka, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Defence Minister A K Antony. The complaints also have not helped, says the family.Anoop M S, Kizhakkethil Veetil, Paravur, Kollam, went missing on September 3, with less than a week for his training with the Madras Engineering Group to end. His friends in the camp in Ulsoor, Bangalore, had informed his family of the disappearance. Although Anoop’s uncle and his brother-in-law rushed to Bangalore, the Army offered little help, his family said.“We were officially informed by the Army only on September 15, based on which we also lodged a complaint with the Paravur police,” says his brother-in-law Rajesh. Complaints were shot off to Defence Minister A K Antony, the Kerala Chief Minister through the Kollam MP. A police team from Paravur also called on Army officials in Bangalore.The family members also allege that the statements of the Army officials and Anoop’s friends are contradictory. Army officials even told us it was common for youngsters to abscond during training. But this is mysterious as Anoop had less than a week to complete his training, Rajesh said.Anoop was selected to the survey wing of the Madras Engineering Group at a camp held at the Military Station, Pangode. “Now we have lodged a second complaint with the Chief Minister,” Sathyadevi Amma said.