Bageshwar: Raghu Raj Chauhan, the father of missing trekker Abhishek Chauhan, 28, has refused to give up. Searching for answers, Chauhan, a Border Security Force inspector, has stayed put at a tiny homestay in remote Khati village -- around 10 km from the exact spot where his son, a Noida-based engineer, mysteriously disappeared while trekking nearly 20 days ago.
“Abhishek was fit and familiar with outdoor conditions... We still think he is alive and will come back,” he told TOI on Tuesday, trekking 20 km up and down daily to the terrain in the Pindari Glacier where the family “lost” their son.
With investigators still clueless, Abhishek’s family has now announced Rs 10 lakh reward for “credible information” and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“Over two weeks have passed and we have no answers. We believe the investigation should be conducted by the CBI so that the truth can emerge. We only want to know what happened to our son,” Chauhan added. Notably, Khati village is almost 100 km away from the nearest town, Bageshwar.
Acknowledging the difficult task, circle officer Ajay Shah said, “Teams have searched Sorag bridge, Badiyakot, Kilpara, Shambhu river belt and other mountain routes. Local guides, shepherds and residents are being questioned. Search operation is continuing and all possible angles are being examined.” Investigators also remain concerned because there is no clear sign pointing to an accident, an animal attack or any natural disaster. With no firm direction, police have filed a case against unknown persons to “widen the scope of investigation”.
Abhishek was last seen while returning from the Pindari Glacier trek in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district on May 29. And despite extensive searches by police, SDRF, local teams, drones and ground patrols over the past two weeks, there has been no trace of him yet. According to police, a camera, jacket and cap believed to be his were recovered initially, but his mobile phone, backpack and other belongings remain missing. Seven teams are searching other remote locations.
The last known person to have seen him was local guide Anand Ram. Ram told investigators that Abhishek asked him to go ahead to a marked halt point and prepare noodles.
Ram added: “I waited for him there, but he never came.”
