On the morning of December 25, their close friend Dileep Satya, who had gone to Puducherry for the JIPMER entrance exam counselling session, made a brief stopover in Delhi on his way back to Chandigarh. Sudhir, who was on duty at AIIMS at the time, told Dilip that Himabindhu was at home and suggested Dilip go home and rest for some time before leaving for Chandigarh. He went there and Himabindhu later informed Sudhir that they would be visiting a nearby church before Dilip's departure.
Ever since that afternoon, there has been no news of the two doctors. Sudhir called up his wife a number of times but there was no response. Fearing something was amiss, Sudhir went to the nearby churches but there was no sign of the duo. The distraught husband approached the police and in the meanwhile family members of Himabindu and Dilip arrived in Delhi to help in the search efforts.
The police tried to trace the whereabouts through cell phone locations, call data and bank accounts but failed to make any headway. Even the driver of the Uber cab that Dilip had booked, said that he returned from the pickup location when there was no response to his phone calls when he reached the place.
But with all their efforts coming to nought, they now fear the worst. Speaking to , Himabindu's husband Sridhar said, "It's been seven days, there's no news, I fear they have been kidnapped, even murdered. They didn't even have cash to think that they might have gone away somewhere."
Himabindu hails from Proddatur while her husband Sridhar, a senior resident at the AIIMS, hails from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Dilip Satya hails from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh and lives in Chandigarh with his wife Divya.
Himabindhu and her husband Sridhar have been residing in Delhi for the last six years and were planning to return to their hometown in the near future.
Sudhir said that the three of them have been friends for twelve years and Dilip had helped the two of them get married. He said that his wife and Dilip were like a brother and sister. He also denied that there were any threats from any quarter.
With all their efforts hitting a wall, the family have approached the media in the last hope that some leads could emerge if they spread the word of the disappearance.
( With inputs from IANS )