Baripada, June 14: The officer in-charge of Jharpokharia police station in Mayurbhanj, bordering Jharkhand, has gone missing since Tuesday.

The officer, Pradip Patnaik, who is in his early thirties, was last seen on June 9 morning when he was leaving the police station in a civil dress.

The area is known for Maoist activities. His family members have met the district superintendent of police and urged him to trace him.

A police team has gone to Tata Nagar and has sought the help of the Jharkhand police to trace him.

Sub-divisional police officer of Baripada Sadar, Suresh Jena said: "We suspect that he could have left his home due to family dispute. But we cannot say anything for sure. His mobile is switched off. He had not said anything to any of his colleagues before leaving the police station. A team has been sent to Tata Nagar," he said.

Patnaik, a 2009 recruit and a resident of Indravati, Koraput, was posted in Jharpokharia about three months ago. He has been trained by the special operations group and has been imparted special training to combat Maoists.

He married nearly five years ago and his in-laws live in Balasore. He has a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

The strained relationship between the couple is more or less known to his colleagues. They used to often quarrel over domestic issues and had a disturbed marital life, said a police officer.

Another cop said: "The area where he works is very sensitive. Beside Maoist activities, the area is also known as a den of gemstone smugglers. This young officer was chasing the mafia and criminals active in the area ever since he took over the charge of the police station. We are also probing into these angles," said a police official.

Superintendent of police, Mayurbhanj, Anup Krishna, said: "There is no definite information about him. We suspect that he left home due to family dispute. However, we are trying our best to trace him."