Ibrahim Sharief

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 2: Police have again traced the mobile number of the assistant controller of mines working with Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Ibrahim Sharief, who has been missing since Monday in Uttar Pradesh.

The police said on Saturday his mobile phone had been switched on for a couple of minutes and the number got traced to a place near Mughalsarai. Earlier, the police had also traced Ibrahim’s mobile to Allahabad and subsequently to Mughalsarai.

The police, who suspect the engineer to be present in Uttar Pardesh, are planning to send another team to the state. Earlier, the cops had sent a team to Uttar Pardesh. The team is still on the job to trace the engineer. Officials of IBM in Bhubaneswar today received a fax from its headquarters in Nagpur to take legal action in this regard.

“We have already lodged an FIR, and we do not know what legal steps we can take in this connection. We are waiting for our higher official and opinion of legal expert for further action,” said deputy controller of mines L.H. Chhangte.

The officials also hinted at seeking the help of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if necessity arises.

According to agency reports, the Karnataka government is in constant touch with the state government about the incident. “The Karnataka government will send a team to Odisha if need arises,” said Karnataka home minister K.J. George.

However, the police said they were yet to get any tangible lead in the case so far. “We have been trying our best to trace the engineer. But, no new lead has been found in this case so far,” said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.

Earlier, the police had seized inspection reports of various mines conducted by Ibrahim to find out possible involvement of mine owners in this incident.