Background
Pawan Kumar Garg, who served as the nursing superintendent for the Orthopaedics Department at King George's Medical University, disappeared on the night of 27 September after leaving his residence in Keshav Nagar, Madiaon, accompanied by a friend called Sachin.
Chronology of the disappearance
Police reports indicate that the pair set off in Garg’s vehicle. Surveillance cameras at the Itaunja toll plaza recorded the car passing the gate, though the driver’s face was obscured. Investigators matched the attire captured on the footage with the clothes Garg wore that evening, and a second passenger was clearly visible beside the driver.
After clearing the toll, the vehicle arrived in Ludhauli village, where Garg and Sachin joined acquaintances at a small gathering. Witnesses say a heated argument broke out, resulting in a violent assault that left both men seriously injured.
Following the incident, Garg’s mobile phone was discovered switched off. His relatives filed a missing‑person report at the Madiaon police station on 29 September.
Police investigation
Detectives tracked the car’s route along the Lucknow‑Sitapur highway. The abandoned vehicle was later found near Chadhehra Bazaar on the Jairampur road, in the Kamalapur area of Sitapur, on Tuesday.
Interrogations of several suspects shed light on the Ludhauli gathering and the alleged attack. Authorities now believe that after being assaulted, Garg and Sachin were placed back into the car and possibly driven toward the Sitapur‑Bahraich border.
Search operations
In response, police have launched a coordinated sweep of the Ghaghra River, the presumed escape route of the assailants. Multiple police units, supported by the fire department and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are combing the riverbanks and adjacent terrain.
The investigation remains active as officials work to reconstruct the exact chain of events after the two men reached Ludhauli and to locate the missing nursing superintendent.
