Subhendu

Chanditala, March 17: A Higher Secondary candidate went missing in Hooghly yesterday and apparently called this morning to say he was safe and would be back in two days.

But Subhendu Kolay’s parents believe their son has been kidnapped as he had no reason to miss his physics exam today.

His father, Pankaj Kolay, said Subhendu had left their Chanditala home at 5.30 last evening saying he was going to collect notes from classmate Bikash. He was then supposed to go to a shop one-and half kilometres away to get the notes photocopied.

“When my son did not return till 7pm, we got worried. We went to Bikash’s house and found he had gone to his private tutor. Then we went to look for Subhendu at all his friends’ homes, but couldn’t find him,” said Pankaj, a postmaster.

When Bikash returned home, he said he had not met Subhendu last evening.

Around 6.20am today, there was a call on Pankaj’s mobile phone. His wife took the call and “a voice that sounded like Subhendu’s” told her not to worry.

“He identified himself as my son and told me not to worry. He told me that he was safe and will return within two days. When I asked him why he had skipped his physics exam today, there was no reply,” Roma sobbed.

She said she could not fathom why a “good student” like Subhendu would disappear suddenly. “My son scored 667 in Madhyamik and got 70 per cent in the Higher Secondary tests. Why should he go missing like this? We firmly believe our son has been kidnapped.”

After Pankaj lodged a complaint, Serampore police traced the number recorded in Pankaj’s cellphone to a public phone booth in Calcutta’s Muchipara near Sealdah station.

“We have contacted Muchipara police station. We have also started an investigation but it is difficult to say immediately whether Subhendu has been kidnapped,” said Ajay Thakur, the sub-divisional police officer of Serampore.

Pankaj’s elder brother Prasanta and Subhendu’s mathematics teacher went to Muchipara police station and then to the phone booth from where the call had been made.

“The phone booth owner could not identify Subhendu from his photograph,” Prasanta said.