‘Had changed his appearance’: Bengaluru techie missing for over 10 days found in Noida mall, say police

Vipin Gupta, reported missing from Bengaluru, was located at a Noida mall with a changed appearance.

A tech professional from Bengaluru who was previously reported missing has been located at a mall in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Vipin Gupta was last seen on August 4, prompting his wife to file a missing persons report at the Kodigehalli Police Station in Bengaluru.

Vipin Gupta (third from left) had relocated to Bengaluru for work. He was last seen on August 4. (X)

Vipin's wife, Sriparna Dutta, had earlier taken to Facebook Live to appeal for help in locating her missing husband. She had alleged in the video that the investigation had made little headway in spite of her having filed a police report.

Authorities pursued various leads, including combing through available CCTV footage, checking financial transactions and other digital evidence, which eventually led them to the Noida mall. Upon finding Gupta, they discovered that he had altered his appearance by shaving his head. The police are now investigating the reasons behind his departure from Bengaluru and his decision to change his appearance.

“#missingvipingupta has been traced and secured in a mall near Noida. He has changed his appearance. Investigation is going on. Always committed and compassionate #bengalurucitypolice,” the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Bengaluru's North East division posted on social media.

Vipin was last seen around 12:42 pm on August 4 in the Tatanagar area of Kodigehalli, as he was leaving his house on his green Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Most notably, authorities had found that a withdrawal of ₹1.8 lakh was made from his bank account shortly after his disappearance, and his phone has been switched off ever since.

The couple has two daughters: a 5-month-old and a 14-year-old. Sriparna had emphasized in her social media message that Vipin deeply loves his daughters and would never abandon them. "We had plans to travel for our younger baby's annaprasadam on August 8. My husband would never leave us," She had added.

The social media message had gone viral, garnering huge public interest and prompting netizens to question the delay in finding the missing techie. Several social media users later lauded the Bengaluru police for having found Vipin, writing, “Kudos to the team in finding him,” and “Excellent work by Bangalore Police.”