AIIMS Bhubneshwar
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha [Representational Image]Wikimedia Commons

A 23-year-old student of AIIMS in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, is missing since he reportedly left the campus to attend a friend's wedding in Chandigarh on February 9. Suhail Aijaz Kataria, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, was pursuing MBBS.

According to police, the location of Kataria's mobile phone was last found in Kolkata. Odisha Commissioner of Police YB Khurania told PTI that Kataria had told his friends that he was traveling to Chandigarh for a friend's wedding and would return by February 17.

Kataria's father Aijaz told ANI that he had received a call from him earlier this month. Kataria was asking for money and Aijaz had deposited cash into his bank account on February 7. As per the bank statement, no money was withdrawn by Kataria.

"Our contact with him snapped from February 9. We initially thought he was busy with his studies and hence was unable to talk frequently," Aijaz told ANI. "However, on getting no news of him till February 20, we left for Bhubaneswar sensing something wrong," he added.

One of Kataria's friends said that they had tried to contact his parents. "When he did not come back from the wedding on February 17, I called up his home and got to know that there was no wedding. He had three to four phone numbers but all of them are switched off."

Kataria's note

The police officials traced Kataria's last location through his mobile phone which indicated that it was in Kolkata. Following the only lead — the note — the officials will be travelling to Kolkata.

The note read 'I quit' and many other suspicious words. Rajendra Prasad Sharma, the Director General of Police (DGP), Odisha, said, "He (Suhail Aijaz Kataria) also asked his friends to forgive him and wrote he had much more work to do in the world."

ISIS
Police have suspected that Suhail might have inclined towards Jihadist groups in Bangladesh and are tracing the missing student. (Representational Image)Reuters

"He was depressed as he failed in some subject. We are in touch with the Kolkata police to trace him and find the possible reasons for his disappearance. One of our teams will go to Kolkata tomorrow," added the DGP.

A section of social media users have expressed concerns and reached out with messages to help find him.

Odisha Police are in touch with the CID cell and Howrah police in Kolkata. "We are in contact with the Howrah police and the CID West Bengal. The particulars of the student have also been shared with them," Khurania told PTI.

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