Kundapur Origin Manjunath Poojary's 'Missing Link'at Riyadh ?
by P A Hameed Padubidri, Saudi Arabia
Daijiworld Media Network – Riyadh (SB)
Riyadh, Oct 27: Manjunath Poojary (38), hailing from Kembailu, Nada post and village of Kundapur taluk in Udupi district in Karnataka state has been found missing from his workplace in Pune since six years and is suspected to be here in capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Manjunath’s brother Raju Poojary in a telephonic conversation with this correspondent from Daijiworld said that Manjunath who was previously working at Sukhsagar Restaurant at Chikpet in Bangalore for about 12 years moved to work at Shivasagar Pure Veg Restaurant, Adil Mall, Baner Road, Pune in Maharashtra in 2001 after his marriage to Jalaja Poojarti in 1999. He lived with his family for about year and a half before leaving to Pune. He also has a son named Praveen, who is now nine-year-old, he informed.
According to Raju Poojary, Manjunath had returned home once after he left for Pune and expressed the desire to go to the Gulf for which he was readying the passport. After this visit, he was in contact with the family for sometimes. However, since about six years there has been no contact despite a thorough search by the family, said Raju and added, “We tried our level best to trace him, but to no avail and now are worried for him. We suspect him to be in the Gulf and hence approached Daijiworld to help us trace him.”
Richard D’Almeida working for Kanoo Company in Dammam, who was Manjunath’s neighbour in Kundapur said that though we do not have a definite clue of his whereabouts in the kingdom, it was said that once a person resembling him was seen near International Airport in Riyadh, but there was no confirmation in this regard. “I guess he might have arrived to the kingdom on house-driver visa or the like. I am afraid, he might have been also put behind bars. If the news is posted in Daijiworld, which is regularly being viewed by a number of Udupi-Mangaloreans, it would support the search for him, he added.
Shekhar, who is in accounts section in National Shipping Company, Riyadh and also Manjunath’s neighbour in Kundapur, Babu Poojary and Karavali Welfare Association, Riyadh (KWAR) too are trying to trace Manjunath with a hazy clue in Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom.
Appeal Through Daijiworld
Through the medium of Daijiworld, people or organizations, who are aware of anything worthwhile that will help trace Manjunath, are requested to contact P A Hameed Padubidri, Saudi Arabia, Daijiworld correspondent on cell phone number 00966-501506843 or Richard D’Almeida on cell phone number 00966-568255555 or Babu Poojary on 00966-505801427 .
About Manjunath Poojary
He is the eldest son among seven children (five sons and two daughters) of Narayana Poojary and Chikkamma Poojary couple of Kembailu village in Kundapur and hails from a poor family. He had his education at Government High School, Basroor in Kundapur and is dark in colour. He sports light beard and moustache.