Navi Mumbai: More than a week after 17-year-old Naman Dutt went missing from Vashi, a tea seller in Chandwad, Nashik, called Naman’s mother on Monday to inform that he had seen someone similar to her son’s description at his shop. A police team along with Naman’s uncle left for Nashik on Tuesday.
“The tea seller said he is not sure if it is him, but the boy whom he saw had similar spectacles as seen in his photo on social media. He said the boy had come to his shop in a car for having tea on Sunday or Saturday. He is also not sure of the day,” police sub inspector Vikas Gaikwad, Vashi police station, said.
The tea shop is on the Mumbai-Agra Highway. “We are hoping to get some CCTV footage from the nearby areas to verify if the boy was him or not,” Mr. Gaikwad said.
Son of BARC research scientist Bhaskar Dutt and psychologist Chandra Ramamurthy, Naman had left his residence at Archana Jyoti housing society, Sector 17, Vashi, around 10.35 p.m. on September 23. CCTV footage of Vashi railway station showed him boarding a CST-bound local at 10.50 p.m.
Mr. Gaikwad said, “We have been checking CCTV footage of other railway stations, but have not been able to figure out where he alighted. His phone has been switched off till now.”
Ms. Ramamurthy said, “We hope the police get some clue and direction to their investigations in Nashik. With each passing day, it is becoming more difficult for us.”