The intention was to make him spend sometime at his native Rayalamandinne in Mulbagal Taluk of Kolar district before he rejoined duty.

But fate had it otherwise. Accompanied by Mahavir Singh, he reached Vijayawada after changing trains at Itarsi. And from April 5, he has been reported missing at Vijayawada. Singh reported the matter to the CISF unit at Rihand Super Thermal Power Project where he was posted.

Mallikarjun's brother Venkatachalapathy, another CISF jawan serving at Thiruvananthapuram, says his brother developed `depression' under mysterious circumstances. He is now on a 10-day leave and is scouting for his brother in Bangalore.

He is not taking any chances because Mallikarjun's marriage is slated for April 25, and worse, his father's health is deteriorating each passing day.