3-member Palakkad family traced in Karnataka a week after disappearance

Palakkad: A three-member family from Vaniyamkulam in Kerala's Palakkad district, who had been missing for a week, was traced to Karnataka on Thursday by a special investigation team of the Shoranur Police. The family was found staying at a farmhouse in Chamarajanagar at around 1 pm.

Police located the family after scrutinising more than 300 CCTV recordings as part of an intensive search. The investigation revealed that they had travelled to Chamarajanagar, about 70 km from Mysuru.

A preliminary investigation suggests the family left Kerala due to business-related debts exceeding ₹36 lakh.

Police are continuing to question the family to establish the circumstances surrounding their disappearance. After recording their statements, the investigation team is expected to return to Kerala with them later in the day.

Before leaving, the family had reportedly told neighbours they were going to attend a wedding at a relative's house. When neighbours later learnt that no such function had been planned, they alerted the relatives, who subsequently lodged a missing persons complaint with the police. 

CCTV footage led police to Karnataka

Following the complaint, the Shoranur Police launched an investigation. Officers found that the mobile phones of all three family members had remained switched off, with the last recorded tower location placing them near their residence.

CCTV footage also confirmed that the family had left their home in a pickup van. Investigators examined more than 300 CCTV recordings before tracing the vehicle's route to Karnataka, leading them to the farmhouse in Chamarajanagar where the family was found.