Mangaluru, July 01: The body of a 45-year-old man from Konaje, who had been missing since Tuesday, was recovered from the Gurupur river on Wednesday evening, July 1.

The deceased has been identified as Muhammad Ashraf Maliki, a resident of Mangalanthi Quarters in Manjanady village near Urumane. Initially, early reports had estimated his age to be around 40 years.

According to the official missing complaint, Ashraf left his residence on his scooter at around 4:30 PM on Tuesday, June 30. He had informed his family members that he was heading to the local Urumane Mosque and would return shortly.

However, he neither reached the designated mosque nor returned back home, disappearing under mysterious circumstances. After searching for him at various places without any success, his anxious family approached the Konaje Police Station.

The Konaje police registered a missing person case and immediately launched a formal investigation to trace him. It is gathered that Ashraf had recently constructed a new house for his family.

However, he had recently lost his employment and was going through a difficult phase, staying at home for the past few days.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, passersby and commuters noticed a two-wheeler parked and abandoned near the Gurupur bridge on the outskirts of the city.

The passersby shared the vehicle’s registration details along with a photograph on various social media platforms. Upon coming across the online post, his family members rushed to the spot and identified the scooter.

Following the discovery of the vehicle, Fire and Emergency Services personnel, along with local professional swimmers, immediately launched an intensive search operation in the Phalguni (Gurpur) river.

The search operation concluded later in the evening when rescuers located and recovered Ashraf’s body from the river currents.

Since the physical recovery site of the body falls within the limits of the Bajpe police circle, a case has been formally registered at the Bajpe Police Station for subsequent legal proceedings.

GangolliNews