Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (GA)

Mangalore, Jul 26: It was just a couple of weeks ago that these columns carried the news of murder of Ulaibettu Gram Panchayat (GP) member Puttumonu.  As reported he had gone missing before he was found murdered almost a week later.

Now in another similar incident Harekala-Pavoor GP member Chittaranjan Shetty (43), a resident of Pavoor-Kadavu had gone missing in mysterious circumstances from Monday July 24 night.  However, his clothes and cell phone have been found in a ferry boat which was left abandoned in the middle of the Netravati River between Adyarkatte and Pavoor.

Chittaranjan owned a shop at Bikarnakatta here. He used to come home late in the evening after shutting down his shop.  Sometimes he used to reach home by bus and at other times he used to get down and Adyarkatte and reach home by ferry boat.

On Monday night, he had closed the shop and left home.  But he did not reach home on the same night.  His clothes and cell phone were found in a ferry boat in the middle of the river which indicated that on Monday night he had started home on the ferry boat.

Though the circumstances point out that he might have accidentally fallen into the river and drowned his family members and those who knew him well told that he knew swimming.  So even if he had fallen into the river, he would have managed to swim and reach river bank.

He was an active BJP activist, the party which he represented in the gram panchayat. He was also an active member of several Hindu organizations of the area and had a good rapport with all people.  He was the convener of Citizens' Coordination Committee of Pavoor-Kadavu.

Expert divers from Reserve Police Force, fire brigade have been trying to trace him in the river.  So far there have been no more details available.  Konaje, Kankanady and Ullal police have beefed up security sensing that Adyar is a sensitive area.