The mysterious disappearance of a 66-year-old Australian citizen of Punjabi origin in Amritsar has taken a dramatic turn, with the police naming his brother as the prime suspect in the case.
The investigation gained momentum after the Amritsar Rural Police identified Sunny Sharma, brother of the missing man, Sunil Sharma, as the key suspect. Police officials said Sunny Sharma and his family are currently absconding.
The case has drawn attention in Australia, where concerns over Sunil Sharma’s disappearance have also been highlighted by local media.
Sunil Sharma, a mathematics teacher based in Melbourne, Australia, went missing on May 22 during a visit to Punjab. He had travelled to Amritsar in connection with a property-related matter and reportedly went to supervise painting work at a property. He also owns a house in Mohali. According to his family, Sharma has been untraceable since May 22, and his mobile phone has remained switched off.
The missing man’s daughter, Surbhi Sharma, has appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for assistance in tracing her father.
In an emotional video message, Surbhi urged the Chief Minister and the Punjab Government to intensify efforts to locate him.
“My father has been missing since May 22 from Amritsar. We have no information about his whereabouts and his phone is switched off. I request the Punjab Government to use all available resources to trace him and bring him home,” she said.
Describing her father as someone deeply attached to his roots, Surbhi said he loved Punjab and had invested in property there. She added that he had travelled to Amritsar to get painting work done at the property. She also claimed that Sunny Sharma had been seen near the property and shared his photographs.
“We will soon nab him. The investigation is at an advanced stage,” said Kambo police station SHO Shamsher Singh.
The police have registered a kidnapping case. Officials also revealed that Sunny Sharma is wanted in another case registered by the Himachal Pradesh Police under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
As investigators continue their search, the disappearance of the Melbourne-based teacher has raised concerns among his family and the wider Punjabi diaspora in Australia.
The Australia-based family of Sunil Sharma has also approached Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian High Commission in India for assistance.
