By IANS
Bhopal : Ashwani Bhat, a senior executive of the pharmaceutical major Nicholas Piramal India Ltd who went missing two days ago, is suspected to have been kidnapped, the police said Sunday.
Bhat had gone to Gwalior to attend the Madhya Pradesh Exportech meet 2008. He gave a presentation at the meet close to noon Friday and has not been seen after that.
Before leaving Gwalior by road for Indore in his Toyota Corolla, he reportedly told his family that he would reach home at night.
However, when he did not return even at midnight, the family complained to the police at Indore. Indore and Gwalior are around 250 km apart.
Although no ransom call has been made so far, the police are not ruling out the possibility of abduction.
“The police found the car abandoned with bloodstains near Dholpur in Rajasthan and suspect that he may have been kidnapped between Gwalior and Dholpur.
“The driver, Babu Patel, is also missing and the mobile telephones of both are switched off,” Gwalior City Superintendent of Police told IANS by telephone.
The police in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have launched a hunt to trace the company official.
Piramal group chairman Ajay Piramal said it was a matter of concern. “We are taking all steps and working in all directions to trace Bhat,” Piramal told IANS late Saturday.
Indore Superintendent of Police Anshuman Yadav said that police teams were looking for the executive.
Bhat was in charge of the company’s plant operations in India. Nicholas Piramal has several operations in India and abroad, including Britain and Canada.