Background
Pawan Kumar Garg, who heads the nursing wing of the Orthopaedics Department at King George's Medical University, went missing on the night of 27 September after departing his residence in Keshav Nagar, Madiaon, with a friend named Sachin.
Chronology of the disappearance
Police reports indicate that the pair set off in Garg’s own vehicle. A surveillance camera at the Itaunja toll plaza recorded the car passing through, although the driver’s face was obscured. Investigators linked the attire visible on the tape to the clothes Garg wore that evening, and a second figure was seen seated beside him.
Beyond the toll, the car reached Ludhauli village where Garg and Sachin joined acquaintances at a small community gathering. Witnesses say a heated argument erupted, culminating in a violent assault that left both men badly hurt.
After the incident, Garg’s mobile phone was found switched off. His relatives filed a missing‑person report at the Madiaon police station on 29 September.
Police investigation
Detectives tracked the vehicle along the Lucknow‑Sitapur corridor. The abandoned car was later located near Chadhehra Bazaar on the Jairampur road, in the Kamalapur sector of Sitapur, on Tuesday.
Interrogations of several suspects shed light on the Ludhauli gathering and the purported attack. Authorities now believe 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, law‑enforcement agencies have initiated an extensive sweep of the Ghaghra River, which is thought to be the route taken by the alleged perpetrators. Multiple police units, supported by the fire department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are combing the riverbanks and nearby terrain.
The probe remains active as officials work to reconstruct the exact sequence of events after the two men reached Ludhauli and to locate the missing nursing superintendent.
