A woman broke down while begging for her father to make contact after he disappeared in India. Sunil Sharma, a 66-year-old Australian teacher, was overseeing renovation work at his investment property in Amritsar, in Punjab, northwest India, when he ceased all contact on Friday.
Daughter's Desperate Search
His frightened daughter, Surbhi Sharma, has spent the last five days desperately contacting relatives in the hopes of finding him. She said his brother was the last to see him but she has not heard from him either. Ms Sharma on Thursday told 7News she is 'really, really worried about him.' 'I just can't understand where he could be,' she said.
Mr Sharma was last seen at the property on Friday, the same day his daughter last heard from him. CCTV footage from the property, which Mr Sharma was preparing to sell, showed him arriving and leaving twice while overseeing a group of painters. Ms Sharma's uncle then arrived at the property and sent the painters away. He was seen travelling back and forth from the home four times on Friday. 'Then my dad is nowhere to be seen and his car is completely gone,' Ms Sharma said.
Uncle Considered Person of Interest
Ms Sharma earlier told the Herald Sun her uncle, Mr Sharma's brother, is being treated as a person of interest by police, who have been unable to locate him. She claimed her uncle and his family 'fled' shortly after her father stopped replying to his children. 'On Sunday morning, really early, he got a truck, packed up his family, his furniture, and fled the city,' Ms Sharma said. 'My uncle already has a warrant with the same Punjab police for other matters. This man is already wanted by them, and now, potentially, involved in something else. They weren't close, they've had an on-and-off relationship for years.'
Background of the Missing Man
Mr Sharma has taught at Melbourne's Diamond Valley College for the last 15 years. He has been a maths teacher his entire adult life and was nearing retirement. His family have been keeping in close contact with authorities in India over their father's disappearance, as well as local family and friends. However, she and her brother were both told not to go to Amritsar. 'If there is something to do with … kidnapping or extortion or something like that, they said it's not uncommon for family members also to be taken in,' Ms Sharma told ABC.
Local police are also attempting to speak with a potential buyer who was also seen at Mr Sharma's property. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian reported missing in India.
Emotional Plea
Ms Sharma said she has barely slept since her father went missing and has been left feeling 'so helpless.' 'It's been really hard, and every day that goes by, it's really tough,' she said. 'I just really hope that they're just searching for him everywhere. My ideal scenario is he's well and being taken care of somewhere, and just hasn't been able to make contact with us.'
She broke down during her interview with 7News, pleading desperately for someone to come forward with information about her father. 'I just need him to contact me,' Ms Sharma said. Then to her uncle, she said: 'Contact your sister and tell us what you saw, what happened and how you left him.'
