Ajmer police on Thursday formed three teams to trace a 21-year-old French woman who had gone missing 13 days ago.
The police action comes a day after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj assured the woman’s friends on Twitter that the authorities would “trace her out” soon.
The woman, Gaille Chouteau, dropped off the radar soon after she checked out of a Pushkar hotel on June 1. Information gathered from campaigns launched by her friends and relatives on Facebook and other social media platforms revealed that she had last communicated with them on June 1, while she was leaving the town.
“We have formed three teams to look for clues on the missing lady,” said Ajmer superintendent of police Rajendra Singh Chudhary. “We have also sent teams to Jodhpur, which was the last place she stayed before coming here. Also, according to the hotel owner, she had enquired about Tapukara in Alwar before checking out.”
According to Pushkar station house officer Mahavir Sharma, footage from a CCTV camera installed in the vicinity showed Chouteau going towards the bus stand around 6.36 am. “She checked out of the hotel at 5.45 am,” he added.
A report submitted to Chudhary, a copy of which is in HT’s possession, states that the woman had enquired about ways to reach Tapukara in Alwar before she went missing. “Tapukara is big industrial area adjoining Bhiwari in Alwar. Many foreigners work in that place, and she may have gone there with the intention of meeting somebody she knows,” the superintendent of police said.
{{/usCountry}}A report submitted to Chudhary, a copy of which is in HT’s possession, states that the woman had enquired about ways to reach Tapukara in Alwar before she went missing. “Tapukara is big industrial area adjoining Bhiwari in Alwar. Many foreigners work in that place, and she may have gone there with the intention of meeting somebody she knows,” the superintendent of police said.
{{/usCountry}}However, Chudhary admitted to not knowing if she actually reached Tapukara because no C form – a document that has to be mandatorily submitted at the local police station upon a foreign national’s arrival in an area – was found in the Alwar police’s possession.