Indian worker missing for more than two months

A 22-year-old Indian expatriate has been missing for more than 70 days after he went for work with his colleagues at a road construction project in Rayyan.

Sources told Gulf Times that Murugesan Gopalakrishnan from Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu was employed by a company whose workers were deployed for the road work. He was working as a steel fixer.According to one of his colleagues, Gopalakrishnan was dropped at his work site on December 13, 2016, and the employer's record showed he reported for duty at 5am. However, when the workers were about leave for food around 10am they noticed that Gopalakrishnan was missing. Initially they thought he had boarded another vehicle to reach the location in Rayyan where food was served.After his colleagues could not locate him at the accommodation too in the evening, they reported the matter to the camp managers.Gopalakrishnan's father, Murugesan who works in Saudi Arabia, tried to contact his son on his mobile phone the next day but there was no response.Subsequently, the employers lodged a complaint with the police. One of his colleagues said the parents of Gopalakrishnan have been repeatedly calling them to know the whereabouts of their son. Soon after Gopalakrishnan's disappearance, some of his colleagues also visited the Hamad General Hospital also to find out if he was admitted there with any illness.Asked if there were any chances for him to abscond from the company, one of his colleagues said he was apparently happy at work and there was no reason whatsoever for him to quit.

It is learnt that the police are following up the case based on the complaint lodged by his employers. However, his colleagues hope people would be able to help them locate the worker if the matter is reported in the media. The colleagues are also following up the matter with the Indian embassy in Doha. The missing worker arrived in Qatar eight months ago, it is learnt.