A well-known doctor from Odisha, who was reported missing from the Kolkata-Thiruvananthapuram Shalimar Express early on Tuesday, was traced within couple of hours, thanks to the Closed Circuit Television network at Chennai central railway station.
The doctor’s son Prabhav Behera said his father might have gone for a cup of tea when the train left. “Having gone through years of strenuous service, he tends to panic during stressful conditions. We are grateful to the police for tracking him down within a short time,” he said.
The physician, who retired as Deputy Director of AIDS Control Society, Odisha, was travelling with his family to Thiruvananthapuram. When the train reached Katpadi around 6.30am on Tuesday, he was found missing from the coach. The family lodged a complaint with Government Railway Police.
On instructions of Additional Director-General of Police (Railways) R. Sekar, six teams were formed to locate the missing person. Perusal of CCTV footage in Chennai central showed the 62-year-old doctor walking out of the platform. Cameras at other platforms captured him walking towards the exit on the Moore Market Complex side. “The doctor was suffering from some kind of a short-term memory loss. Our teams launched a manhunt in the vicinity and traced him sitting at the bus stop opposite to central railway station.”
Quoting family members, Mr. Sekar said the doctor used to wake up at 4 a.m. everyday and go for a walk.
In a separate development, the ADGP said instructions were given to enhance surveillance on the movement of cash in trains. The move follows the seizure of Rs. 30 lakh from a suspected hawala courier at the station last week.
