4 days on, no trace of Army Captain Shikhar Deep

Army Captain Shikhar Deep, who went missing during a train journey from Bihar to Delhi four days back, continued to be untraceable even as massive hunt is underway by the army and various other forces.

The search operation for the officer posted in Jammu and Kashmir is being carried out jointly by the Army, Bihar police, Railway police, National Investigation Agency and the Intelligence Bureau in the Kanpur-Katihar-Delhi section, a defence spokesman said in Jammu on Thursday.

An FIR has been lodged and the Army is expected to order a Court of Inquiry as a criminal and accident angle cannot be ruled out.

"A search and investigation by state police, NIA, IB, Railway Police and Army authorities is going on. It is intensified," the spokesman said.

Twenty five-year-old Deep, son of Lt Col Anant Kumar and hailing from Mahenderpur of Purnia district in Bihar, went missing while he was travelling by Mahananda Express from Kathihar in Bihar to Delhi on the night of February 6-7.

He was returning to duty after 30-day annual leave.

Wearing black and brown blazer, off-white T-shirt, blue jeans, green jungle shoes, the officer was travelling on a reserved berth in the train, the spokesman said.

He last contacted his relatives in the intervening night of February 6-7.

The luggage of the officer has been traced by Railway and Army authorities in Delhi and nothing except for the cash from wallet is missing from the luggage, the spokesman added.

The officer's unit has initiated numerous steps to trace the officer which include interaction with DGP Bihar Pramod Thakur, search efforts by two Indian Army units at Kanpur and Katihar as well as investigation and search operations by Railway Police of Delhi and Bihar, he said.

The unit has also despatched a party led by a Junior Commissioned Officer to Katihar to investigate the matter, the spokesman said.

"At this stage, criminal as well as accident angle cannot be ruled out however, search and investigation is on," spokesman said.

He said an FIR has been lodged by relatives of the officer at Railway Police, Katihar, and a Court of Inquiry will be ordered by Army authorities as per the procedure.

The father of the officer is a serving Lt Col in the Army and presently posted at Ranchi, the spokesman said.