Background
Pawan Kumar Garg, who heads the nursing division of the Orthopaedics Department at King George’s Medical University, went missing on the night of 27 September after leaving his residence in Keshav Nagar, Medan, accompanied by his friend Sachin.
Chronology of the disappearance
Police reports indicate that the pair departed in Garg’s car. Surveillance cameras at the Itaunja toll plaza captured the vehicle passing the gate, though the driver’s face was obscured. Officers matched the attire seen on the footage with the outfit Garg wore that evening, and a second passenger was clearly visible beside him.
Beyond the toll, the car reached Ludhauli village where Garg and Sachin joined acquaintances at a local gathering. Witnesses say a heated argument broke out, culminating in an alleged assault that left both men seriously wounded.
After the incident, Garg’s mobile phone was found switched off. His family lodged a missing‑person report at the Medan police station on 29 September.
Police investigation
Detectives tracked the vehicle along the Lucknow‑Sitapur route. The abandoned car was later recovered near Chadhehra Bazaar on the Jairampur road, in Sitapur’s Kamalapur area, on Tuesday.
Interrogations of several suspects shed light on the Ludhauli gathering and the purported attack. Authorities now suspect that after being assaulted, Garg and Sachin were placed back into the car and possibly driven toward the Sitapur‑Bahraich border.
Search operations
In response, police have launched an extensive search of the Ghaghra River, believed to be the route the perpetrators might have taken. Multiple police units, supported by the fire department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are combing the riverbanks and adjacent terrain.
The investigation remains active as officials work to reconstruct the events after the two men arrived in Ludhauli and to locate the missing nursing superintendent.
