Five Indian women cricketers 'disappear' in Britain

The five members of a touring women's cricket club from Jalandhar went missing from Hounslow.

Five members of an Indian women's cricket team have disappeared while touring Britain in what is seen as an apparent bid to evade immigration controls and stay in the country.

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The women, all in their early 20s, went missing from two houses in Hounslow, west London, where they were staying with eight other players.

Their club, from Jalandhar, arrived on August 10 on a three-week visa but they played only two games before disappearing.

Reports said one of the women was seen carrying luggage and climbing into a car with two men she appeared to know.

The other four told their colleagues they were going to visit friends but were not seen again. Their passports were left behind in Hounslow.

The missing women are: Mandeep Virk, 19, Baljeet Kaur, 22, Parvesh Rani, 25, Ekta Andotra, 21, and Rajwant Kaur, 24.

Detective Inspector Brent Lancaster said: "At this stage we believe that these women may have gone off on a pre-planned adventure -- after all, they are on holiday.

"We want them to know that they haven't broken any laws. They are not in any trouble, we just need to know if they are safe."

The Indian high commission is investigating the matter.