Balasore: Mystery shrouds the death of a bank officer, whose body has been found in a forest in Himachal Pradesh.

Sabik Lohar, 31, assistant manager of the UCO Bank's Baliapal branch, had been missing since May 15. When he could not be traced, Sabik's mother, Bimla Lohar, lodged a missing report with Baliapal police on May 17.

On the morning of May 19, Sabik's body was found hanging from a tree branch in a forest near Mcleodganj in Himachal Pradesh.

"His bank identity card and Aadhaar card were found in his pocket. Himachal police had sent those documents to us, along with the body's photograph. It has been established that the person in the photograph is Sabik," said Baliapal police station inspector-in-charge Khyamasagar Panda.

"Himachal police registered a case of unnatural death after the body had been found. It has been handed over to his family after post-mortem. The reason of death, supposedly suicide, is yet to be ascertained," said Panda, adding that "it might be a case of love affair".

Sabik, who had joined the bank about three months ago, was residing in a rented house near his branch at Baliapal. On the morning of May 15, he handed over the keys of the bank to a peon of the branch.

The bank's Baliapal branch manager Baidhar Hembram said: "He was a sincere person. But, he used to speak to someone over phone during most of the leisure time. The keys of the bank were with him. When he didn't come to office around 10am, a peon was sent to his room to fetch the keys."

The police said Sabik, after handing over the bank's keys, left the place on his motorbike on the morning of May 15.

He had even withdrawn Rs 3,000 cash from a UCO Bank ATM at Baliapal at 10.48am, revealed the CCTV footage. On the same day, a few employees of the bank's other branches spotted him near Jamsuli and Gandhi Chhak. But since then, no one had his trace.

The bike is yet to be traced, said police officer Jayant Sethi.

"Searches were made in all railway stations and bus stands, but the bike couldn't be found," said Sethi.

On the morning of May 18, Sabik checked his cash balance in an ATM counter. Subsequently, the branch got to know that he was in Himachal Pardesh in Mceodganj police limits. Baliapal police station immediately intimated their counterparts posted there. Though the cops there had made efforts to trace him, but in vain.

"All the hotels and lodges near the ATM counter had been searched, but he was not found. Subsequently, the body was found in a forest near snow point next morning," said Panda.

Sabik, a resident of Salua in Bengal was the only son of his parents. His father, Babudhan Lohar, is serving in the 3rd Battalion as lance naik. They are Nepalese, said the police.