The vanishing act of the five Indian women cricketers, who were on a tour of England could be a case of 'preplanned disappearance', the police officer investigating the case said on Thursday.
Sergeant Vince Harte of the Hounslow missing persons' unit said enquiries with the families of two of the cricketers in Jalandhar indicated the players' disappearance was deliberate.
Harte said both the family members were evasive in their replies and non-cooperative.
"They did not even ask about their daughters' welfare and the conversation indicated the disappearing act was preplanned," Harte said.
The sergeant said the fugitive players would not be deemed to have violated immigration laws till September 10, the date on which their visas expire.
"Till September 10, the girls would not have committed any violation of the law of the land. We can only hope for their safety.
"But after September 10, if they continued to remain at large, it will be a violation of the Immigration Law," Harte said.
Thirteen members of a club cricket team from Jalandhar had arrived in London and five of them -- Mandeep Virk (19), Baljeet Kaur (22), Parvesh Rani (25), Ekta Andotra (21) and Rajwant Kaur (24) -- went missing last Tuesday from two houses in Hounslow, West London.
One of the women was last seen with two men loading a car with luggage outside the house where she had been staying in Hounslow.
A man claiming to be a solicitor had attempted to retrieve the passports the women left behind eight days ago.
The team called Lynex was scheduled to play friendly matches, starting with Colwall Cricket Week in Herefordshire.
