(Image source from: KTUU)

Indian-American man, who hails from Hyderabad has been reported missing since Saturday in the United States after communicating with his family members the same day, making it more mysterious.

Mirza Ali Ahmed Baig went to the U.S. in 2015 to pursue mechanical engineering from the University of Gannon in Pennsylvania, yet he dropped out his studies and had moved to New Jersey where he took admission in MS technology course from American Institute of Commerce and Technology in 2017.

Baig was residing with a Bengaluru man, who later filed a missing complaint in the local police station of New Jersey.

"My brother used to work with a local mobile accessories shop in New York as a part-timer and he went missing from there. The CCTV footage of the shop which was given to us by locals there showed he was last seen in the shop at about 2:40 p.m. on Friday. He spoke to our mother around 1 a.m. on Saturday," said Mirza Shujat Baig, Baig's younger brother in Hyderabad.

"From last one week my brother has been telling my mother that he was receiving threat calls and was under heavy stress, however, whenever my mother tried to inquire into the issue, he said he could not disclose anything right then," Shujat Baig said.

During the last phone call around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Baig told his mother that he was receiving calls from Gujarati groups and that he would say in detail once he is back home. He also said he would call back after 'namaz'.

Baig's number was not out of reach when his brother Shujat Baig tried contacting him.

The family has written a petition to Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in pursuit of assistance to trace Baig. However, they have not received any outcome from Swaraj nor from Ministry thus far.

By Sowmya Sangam