Wellington, Oct 12 (IANS): Auckland police are searching for an Indian student who went missing after a night out, a media report said on Monday.

Police have also appealed for help in the search of Mandeep Singh, 20, who did not return after he went out with friends in the wee hours of Sunday, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Mandeep left with his three flatmates for Bungalow8 club in Viaduct Harbour, Auckland. His friends lost contact with him at about 3.20 a.m.

His flatmate Gurjeed Singh, who was the last person to see him, said he and Mandeep stayed at Bungalow8 while their other two flatmates left for another nightclub.

"He told me to go to the other side and enjoy myself, to go to the dance floor," Gurjeed said, adding, "I was dancing and enjoying myself. After 20 or 25 minutes I looked for him and he was not there."

He did not turn up for his work and his culinary arts course at the Cornell Institute of Business and Technology on Monday.

His best friend Jatin Kalia, 19, said Mandeep called him and told him that he was at home.

"The background was all quiet when he called, it was not noisy like the club, so we thought he must have been outside the club and roaming the streets," Kalia said.

When the other flatmates got home, they could not find Mandeep.

"Mandeep told a lie and after that he did not pick up his phone. It is now on voicemail," Kalia added.

Auckland City Police said Mandeep "was wearing a blue collared shirt, blue jeans and black and white shoes and is described as slim built, with brown hair and brown eyes and around 5'8" tall."

Mandeep arrived in Auckland on a student visa in February.