Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Nov 25: The case about Malathi Shetty (65), wife of retired teacher from Korgi Charukottige in the taluk, Bhaskar Shetty, going missing under mysterious circumstances, completed five months on November 24. But, the case is stranded where it was five months ago, with not even an inch of progress having been achieved.
Malathi who left her home at around 1.30 pm on June 24 with the purpose of visiting a neighbor disappeared suddenly without being noticed by anyone. Efforts of police department, Malathi's family and close relatives, and others have failed to yield any result. At the same time, her son Satish Shetty, working as software engineer in United States of America has approached the state high court seeking court intervention in the matter.
The division bench of the state high court, which took up habeas corpus petition filed by Satish Shetty, has asked the home department, western range inspector general of police, and policemen of Kundapur station to submit details of investigation conducted in the case so far.
Malathi had finished her lunch on that fateful day, and had placed rice for cooking on the hearth again, before going out. No one has seen her thereafter, and even district superintendent of police, Annamalai, visited her home and directed police officials to hasten the investigation. But no progress has been achieved till now, as the investigation has become directionless.
Satish Shetty has been keeping track of investigation from abroad by keeping in constant touch with police officials and family members. He also opened a website (http://www.MomMissing.org) for the purpose, and had announced reward of one lac rupees to anyone giving any clue about his mother. Now he has filed habeas corpus petition in the high court through his brother-in-law, Ram Mohan Shetty.
The only plausible theory about her disappearance can be attributed to the lure of gold ornaments, as she was wearing ornaments worth Rs 3.5 lac then. But sniffer dogs which returned after roaming in the compound of the house, searches conduced in water bodies of the taluk, spreading information, pasting of posters carrying her photo and physical features, and verification of CCTV footage in pilgrimage centres across several districts have failed to give any lead.
It is widely believed that Malathi is alive, but there is no clue where she went or why she is hiding away from family. If she was kidnapped for money, no one has ever called the family seeking payment of ransom.
The police have reached a deadlock. When the question was raised at a recent press meet in Udupi, SP Annamalai had said it was a tough case to crack. "She voluntarily left her home due to some family problems. Hence it is tough to trace her. No one has kidnapped her," he had said.