The Kempegowda International Airport police are searching for a Jaipur-bound passenger who allegedly did not board his flight despite checking in and has been missing since July 10. He was last seen in his wheelchair at the departure gate, but there is no footage of him leaving the airport, said the police.
Richpal, 40, from Rajasthan, worked as a labourer at a tile manufacturing unit in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. Last week, he fractured his leg while at work and was advised bed rest. He decided to return to Rajasthan. Since he could not take the train, his friend Mukesh Kumar brought him to Bengaluru from where he was scheduled to fly to Jaipur on July 10, the police said.
“He was on a wheelchair because of his injury. Kumar [the complainant in the case] said he accompanied him to the airport, dropped him off at departure gate no. 1, and then returned to Chittoor,” a police officer said.
The disappearance came to light when Kumar received a call from Richpal’s family who were waiting for him at the airport in Jaipur. They were informed that he had not boarded the flight. Kumar returned to Bengaluru to make enquiries and filed a missing person’s complaint on Saturday.
When the airport police checked with security staff and went through the CCTV camera footage, his last screengrab showed him at the departure gate. “Cameras don’t show him leaving the airport. We don’t know where he went,” said a senior police officer, while adding that they were now questioning airport staff, parking attendants, and taxi drivers.
