13 days & counting as 69-year-old amnesiac man from Durban goes missing from Mumbai International Airport

Mumbai: It’s been 13 days that 69-year-old man from Durban, Dhramalingum Pillay (Dan), went missing from the Mumbai International Airport. Continuing her tireless search, his daughter Rebecca Pillay has offered Rs 50,000 to anyone who can give any clue about his whereabouts. 

Dan, who suffers from short-term memory loss and speaks only English, was last seen walking out of the airport on the day he was to head back to South Africa. Pillay, a South African national, has been staying in hotels ever since and searching for her father with the help of the police and a family friend. She has rented a scooter and puts up ‘Missing Person’ posters around the city every day. 

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said Dan was shown as ‘self-offload'

The father-daughter duo came to India as tourists on Jan 21 and visited Chennai and Bengaluru. They booked a return flight to South Africa on Jan 30. Their flight was scheduled to take off at 6.15 am but got delayed and was rescheduled at 9.15 am. While Pillay was taking a nap at 6.15am, her father walked off.

After entering the airport, no passenger can go outside without following procedures. According to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Dan was shown as ‘self-offload’. After a frantic search, Pillay registered a missing complaint at Sahar police station.

Investigating Officer Police Sub-Inspector Bhavchkar, said, “We have been continuously screening CCTV footage and sending out our teams. We are looking for any substantial leads. Posters and contact information have been sent out to all police stations as well. We hope we find him soon.”

Pillay, meanwhile, has been spending her days going around the city pasting posters. “It has been a very difficult time but we are trying to keep it together because we have to stay strong to search for him. We go out early in the morning, come back and rest a bit and then set out again.”

On the rented scooter, Pillay and her friend search public places and railway stations. They have covered most of Marol, Sakinaka and Powai. The South African Embassy has also been supportive, and has distributed around 6,000 pamphlets.

If found, contact PSI Bhavchkar at 9987835329