Udupi: Tension Mounts as Mystery Still Shrouds Padmapriya's Disappearance

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (GA)

Updates at 12.30pm IST

Udupi, Jun 14: It is almost 4 days now that Padmapriya, wife of MLA Raghupati Bhat went mysteriously missing while on her way to here parental house. Despite large scale media coverage and intense search operations by various teams of police and Anti-Naxal Force, no traces of her whereabouts have been found. With each passing moment, tension is mounting in all quarters. While Raghupati Bhat is quite depressed and saddened, their children, Rahul and Rohan, are eagerly waiting that their mother will come back safe.  Situation is Padmapriya's house at Karnad is still pathetic. Her family is still in shock and all the members of the family are finding it extremely difficult to come in terms with the existing situation.

On the other hand thousands of BJP workers, friends and well-wishers of Bhat are helping the police in searching every nook and corner of Udupi. But as of now every effort has gone in vain. The only progress in the case is that Raghupati Bhat's mother Saraswati has now formerly filed a case with the Manipal police that her daughter-in-law is missing from June 11. (Earlier media reports confirmed that, Padmapriya was missing since Jun 10)

Padmapriya had left her house on June 11 morning around 9.15. She drove her car herself as usual. She was on her way to her parental house to attend certain puja. Before that she told Raghupati Bhat that she will visit Kunjargiri temple and offer a thanksgiving puja for his success in recent elections. Eyewitnesses now say that they had spotted her Wagon R car at Kunjargiri at around 10.15 which indicates that she had reached the spot within an hour. But what happened thereafter, whether she attended puja at Kunjargiri, did anyone waylaid her with any ill motive, is not known. The situation in which car was found, the smashed bangles, abandoned money, blood stains, hairs etc indicate that she might have had a physical altercation with someone.

But motive behind anything foul is still mysterious. As known Raghupati Bhat is running a finance firm in Udupi and in his absence Padmapriya was looking after the firm. It is a known fact, enmity is a common phenomenon in finance business. So investigations have been directed in this regard also.

But it is quite shocking to know that neither Raghupati Bhat, his family nor even Padmapriya's family made any serious attempt to know her whereabouts after she went missing. As per Raghupati Bhat, Padmapriya's mobile was switched off and he could not contact home since landlines were dead. But it is quite surprising to know that landline phone of an MLAs house lay dead for almost 3 days and no one bothered to repair or even a file a complaint.

As of now however, everything is mysterious. Only time can answer various questions which are arising from various quarters. Perhaps only Padmapriya's safe return will answer these ever mounting queries.

Search Still on for MLA's Missing Wife Padmapriya Bhat  – Udupi Shell Shocked

Updates at 00.45am, Jun 14, 2008

Daijiworld Udupi correspondent learnt from the Home Minister Dr V S Acharya that the government has appointed a team comprising of Two DYSPs and Two Circle Inspectors to speed up  the search for the missing  Padmapriya Bhat.

Three different teams have been deployed to  Bangalore, Murdeshwar and Dharmastala  for further investigation.

Daijiworld.com also learnt that fingerprints picked up from the steering wheel of the abandoned car belonged to a male. It is now suspected that the car was deliberately parked in such a way that there little space for anyone sitting on the passenger side to either open the door and get out.

Daijiworld once again spoke to Ragupathi Bhat to ascertain  where his children were while  his wife was supposedly visiting her mother. He said that the boys  Rahul and Rohan were with his mother in Udupi.

Asked why for two days he was unaware of the whereabouts of his wife Padmapriya, he said that he did call his wife on the mobile but it was  switched off. Later he tried calling his mother in Udupi and his mother-in-law in Mulky but the land lines were out of order.

Updates at 11.30pm

Udupi, Jun 13: (11.30pm IST) The search  for the missing wife of Udupi MLA Ragupahi Bhat has continued with the deployment of a huge number of Anti Naxal Forces in  the Kunjalugir area.  Even the local people have joined the police in the search operations.

Western Range IGP Ashit Prasad, Mangalore SP and other top officials have already visited the spot. Home minister V S Acharya  too visited the spot.

Ragupathi Bhat speaking exclusively to daijiworld.com in Udupi said that he  was stunned to hear the news as he had no  enemies in his life. He was looking visibly disturbed and sounded very low  while speaking to daijiworld.

"We never had disputes in our relationship. Everything was going fine . She wanted to offer puja at the Kunjalgiri temple for the success of the  recent election victory. She informed me that she is going to her mother's place"

Strong rumors  of a possibility of  suicide are in the air. But the blood stains, broken bangles and an empty SIM card found inside her abandoned  car  point at a forceful abduction rather than a suicide.

When asked why a police complaint was not lodged for three days after she went missing, the MLA  said that he always believed that  she was at her mother's place at Mulky . It was much later that he learnt that she never reached there.

Also read:

• First Update: Udupi: MLA Raghupati Bhat's Wife Padmapriya Goes Missing
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