Bangalore: Nuclear scientist Lokanath Mahalingam has been missing for five days now and a massive manhunt has been launched for him.
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) along with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Karnataka Police are searching for Mahalingam, who works at the Kaiga Atomic Power Station. He went for his morning jog on June 8 and did not return back.
The police are not yet clear if the scientist has been kidnapped or whether he poses a grave security threat.
Kaiga plant is surrounded by thick jungles of the Western Ghats and police are looking into the possibility whether he could have been attacked by a leopard.
Karwar Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta says the possibility that Mahalingam was attacked by a wild animal, like a leopard, cannot be ruled out.
"There are four investigating teams. We cannot negate any possibilities at this juncture .The area is surrounded by 100 acres af dense forests. Forest officers are also cooperating with us in the investigation. Their report is awaited. We are in touch with Kaiga authorities. They said he was in training and not dealing with sensitive information," says Gupta.
"His wife has lodged a complaint. They don't have any specific doubts," adds the SP.
Police also say that since Mahalimgam is a non classified scientist, there is no way he would have had access to confidential information.
But there are still many unanswered questions in the case:
- If the missing nuclear scientist been killed by a man-eating leopard from the surrounding forest why has the body not been found yet?
- Why has the forest department not been involved in the search?
- Why did Mahalingam's wife file a complaint two days after he went missing?
- Why is Mahalingam's family keeping a low profile? Is a family dispute at the root of this disappearance?
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