Police are likely to interrogate two uncles of Vicky Kumar Tiwary, a state-level handball player of Uttarakhand who mysteriously went missing from Patna on May 17.

The mother of the 18-year-old sportsperson has told the city police that her two brothers, based in Bokaro in Jharkhand, had to repay her a debt of Rs 15 lakh. She alleged that her son could have been kidnapped by her brothers to usurp more money from her.

Vicky lived in Dehradun and had come to Patna on May 17, sources said. He had put up in a hotel near Patna Junction.

“The boy was supposed to visit Katihar to meet a relative. He was supposed to board a train later in the day for Katihar and had called up his mother the same morning. However, he never reached Katihar,” a police officer said.

“His mother, Tripti Devi, realised that Vicky had gone missing much later and an FIR was lodged at the Kotwali police station on May 24. Later, she told the police about her two brothers and the money involved,” he added.

On May 27, the police had recovered Vicky’s cellphone from one Suresh in Hajipur.

“Suresh, a liquor trader, was using Vicky’s cellphone and the police traced him through tower location. He was brought to the state capital. Suresh, in his statement, said he had found the cellphone near Pillar Number 36 of Mahatma Gandhi Setu,” deputy superintendent of police (law and order) Lalit Sharma told The Telegraph.

He added: “This is quite alarming for the police, but we have kept all options open. Suresh said he had found a bottle of water near the cellphone. The Alamganj police have been alerted and they have reported that no body has been fished out from the Ganga so far. The case is startling but it is being investigated from all possible angles.”

Vicky’s two uncles have been identified as Pawan Choubey and Chandan Choubey.

“The police will interrogate them. Suresh, who claimed to have found Vicky’s cellphone, is also being interrogated. He could be issuing some false statements. However, since Vicky’s mother is suspecting her brothers in the case, they will be thoroughly questioned,” Sharma added.

Vicky’s father, Sanjay Tiwary, is dead and the handball player has been pursuing Plus Two from a Dehradun-based school. Sources said Vicky was preparing for engineering entrance tests. Vicky’s younger brother, Kanhai Tiwary, also studies in Dehradun.

A police officer said: “Many suicide cases have been reported from the Mahatma Gandhi Setu. The police are trying to deal with the case from all angles. Vicky’s family members are also being questioned for more information.”