Kota: JEE aspirant goes missing, CCTV shows him entering forest

KOTA: A 16-year-old JEE aspirant who left his hostel for a routine test has been missing for the last two days and was last captured on CCTV entering a forest area here, police said on Tuesday. Rachit Sondhya, a native of Madhya Pradesh, was taking coaching for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) from a Kota institute for over a year, they said.

On Sunday noon, Sondhya left his hostel room in Jawahar Nagar police station area for a routine test. In a CCTV footage, he was seen taking a cab. He reached Garadiya Mahadev temple from where he was last seen entering the forest area, police said.

Sondhya’s bag, mobile, room keys and other belongings were recovered from near the temple late Monday evening, DSP Bhawani Singh said, adding that a search operation by police and SDRF teams is underway but the teen is still untraceable.

Also read JEE Main 2024 Results: Boys grab top ranks, 19 out of 23 toppers belong to general category

The JEE aspirant’s parents reached Kota and lodged a missing complaint on Sunday evening after they failed to reach out to their son as his phone was switched off, police said.

According to family members, Sondhya’s was concerned about his excessive use of his mobile that distracted him from studies and he had reportedly locked his mobile two times in past to quit this habit, the DSP said.