Finnish police are appealing for information about an 18-year-old Indian engineering student who disappeared after travelling from Lahti to Helsinki more than two months ago.
The student boarded a Z train from Lahti to Helsinki at around 5pm on 5 May. His last confirmed sighting was at a K-Market in Helsinki's Kruunuvuorenranta district later that evening. He has not been seen since.
The young man had moved to Finland last autumn to study engineering at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT).
According to Chief Inspector Olli Töyräs, there is currently no indication that a crime has occurred in relation to the disappearance.
Police said the student's family in India became concerned after losing contact with him and they asked one of his acquaintances in Finland to file a missing person report. The investigation was later transferred from the Häme Police Department to the National Bureau of Investigation.
Officers are focusing their search on the Kruunuvuorenranta area while continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
The case has also attracted attention in India. According to The Indian Express, the student's parents have urged Indian authorities to help locate their son after they were unable to contact him. The newspaper reported that the family was unable to travel to Finland after their visa applications were refused.
The student's parents also told the newspaper that he had asked them to send 5,000 Indian rupees (around 50 euros) on the day he disappeared. They have not heard from him since.
Police said he was last seen wearing dark clothing and light-coloured shoes and was carrying a backpack with a pair of thick gloves attached to the outside.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Bureau of Investigation. A photograph of the missing student is available on the Finnish police website.
