India's biggest coffee chain founder V G Siddhartha was reported missing mysteriously since Monday night en route to the coastal Mangaluru city in Karnataka, with an alleged letter by him showing he was under "tremendous pressure" from lenders.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force, Coast Guard, Home Guard, fire services and coastal police scoured the waters under a bridge across the swollen Nethravathi river, where 60-year old Siddhartha was reportedly last seen, to trace the coffee tycoon.
Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) chain owner Siddhartha, also the son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader S M Krishna, was last seen near the bridge in the Kotepura area in Dakshina Kannada district on Monday night, police said.
Local fisherman, along with their boats, have also joined in the frantic search operations.
Siddhartha had left from Bengaluru to Sakleshpur in Hassan district in a car on Monday afternoon, but on the way had asked his driver to go towards Mangaluru, the police said.
On reaching the bridge, he alighted from the car and told his driver that he was going for a walk.
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"He (Siddhartha) asked the driver to wait till his arrival. When he did not return even after two hours, the driver approached the police and lodged a missing complaint," Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district Senthil Sasikant Senthil told PTI.
"The help of local fishermen is being taken in the search. We are checking who he spoke to over phone," Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil said.
"Air Cushion Vehicle (H-198) is undertaking search in Nethravathi River and providing support to CG diving teams. Three diving teams, along with the district disaster relief team, has been deputed to carry out search for the missing person," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Police said they are also questioning the car driver.
Senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar said he found the disappearance of Siddhartha "utterly fishy" and sought an investigation into it.
He said the letter purportedly written by Siddhartha, "which is circulating", is dated July 27 (Saturday) and he received a call from him on Sunday asking if they could meet.
"It's unbelievable that a courageous man like him would resort to this," Shivakumar tweeted.
He said he has known closely Siddhartha and his family members for decades.
"However, I find this (the disappearance) utterly fishy and urge that a thorough investigation be conducted into this matter," he said.
In a letter purportedly written by him to the Board of Directors and employees of Coffee Day Enterprises, he founded, whose authenticity could not be independently verified, Siddhartha said, "I have failed as an entrepreneur."
However, the IT department in Bengaluru referred to the note said to be written by Siddharha mentioning about the attachment of Coffee Day shares by it and said "the authenticity of the note is not known and the signature does not tally with the signature as available in his annual reports."