Kozhikode: In a major relief for the family of the missing army man K Vishnu from Elathur here, he was located by the police in Bengaluru after an intense two-week-long search.

The Elathur Sub-Inspector and his team led 'Mission Vishnu', which concluded successfully after nearly two weeks of travel and investigation across several states. Vishnu, a boxer at the Pune Army Sports Institute, was found among the crowd on a bustling Bengaluru street. On Wednesday, he was brought before the Judicial First Class Magistrate and later reunited with his family.

Vishnu had been missing since December 17, 2024, when he took a 15-day leave and informed his family that he was on his way home. However, he never returned home or to his sports institute.

Following his disappearance, Elathur police launched an extensive search, visiting cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru while reviewing hundreds of CCTV footage as part of their investigation. After much effort, the team, which included Elathur SI Mohammed Ziyad, Senior Civil Police Officer Athul Kumar, and Civil Police Officer Vaishak, tracked him down in Bengaluru on New Year’s Eve.

Vishnu had informed his family that he was returning home after taking leave on December 17, even mentioning that he had boarded a train. When he did not arrive, his family reported him missing to the Elathur police. The investigation team confirmed his leave at the Pune Army Sports Institute and his departure to Mumbai.

In the CCTV footage from the Mumbai DCP office, he was seen heading towards Nariman Street. The team then checked the area's CCTV footage and register books, confirming that Vishnu stayed at a lodge for three days before departing for Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station. The footage and railway ticket records revealed that he had booked a ticket to Bengaluru under a different name.

The police team then moved to Bengaluru. On December 31, when army personnel received their salaries, they obtained Vishnu’s bank statement and discovered that he had withdrawn money from an SBI ATM in Bengaluru. The team split into two groups to intensify the search across the city, eventually locating him in a crowded street.

Vishnu was taken back to his hometown on Wednesday, and the police reported that he explained his disappearance to be due to financial difficulties.