Bhubaneswar, Dec. 5: Puri police have begun a search operation to locate French national Mathieu Furic, who was booked for allegedly indulging in unnatural sex with children on the sea beach in the pilgrim town, around 60km from here.

“We have issued a look out circular with the photographs of the French national to various exit points of the country, especially airports and ports to trace him,” said Puri superintendent of police Anup Kumar Sahoo.

Police further said that Furic, who had arrived in Puri on November 18, had checked out of his hotel on November 26 immediately after another US national James Foster Gorman, 45, caught him in the act with a group of boys on the Penthakata beach on the same day. The police have put Furic’s age between 45 and 50.

“During our investigation, the staff at the hotel where Furic was staying said that he checked out hurriedly on November 26 although he had earlier informed them about staying there till November 28. He told the staff that he was leaving for Banaras,” said a police official.

Gorman, who had lodged a complaint with the Sea Beach police station on Monday, also alleged that Furic had assaulted him when he opposed him.

The police lodged a case after Gorman recorded a conversation with the children and handed over the footage to them.

The French national has been booked under section 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 341 (wrongful restraint) of Indian Penal Code and sections 12 and 18 of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

There have been many instances of alleged paedophilia by foreign nationals in Puri in the past. The police, in November 2008, had arrested an Australian doctor identified as Herbert Rose on charges of sexually abusing minor boys of an orphanage where he used to work.

Before this incident, the cops had arrested two tourists from England on different occasions for the same crime, in September 1999 and November 2000. However, the lack of evidence had led to acquittal of the two accused persons.