MUMBAI: Alka Punewar, a Marathi actress who was on her way to Pune for some theatre show has gone missing and what baffled her family and police is the fact that her mangled car has been found fallen in a deep valley in Khopoli on the Mumbai Pune Express highway in mysterious circumstances on Tuesday.

Based on her husband Sanjay Punewar's complaint the Khopri police in Thane have registered a missing complaint and have launched a manhunt to trace her. Police have also started zeroing on those persons who had last called Alka on her cell phone when she went missing. According to police, Alka who worked in few hindi movies viz Bawander, Gadar and Tujse lagi lagan and few television serials had left her Thane home on December 27 evening to go to Uran where her group was to perform some stage show.

"On December 27, on her request I dropped her in our car till Thane Railway station from where her group's driver was to drive her. Half an hour later she called me and told that driver has come and they were leaving for Uran." Said Sanjay.

On December 28, early morning at around 4.30 am, Sanjay received an sms from Alka's cell saying to send one of her son's resume to a particular email address and she will call later. Later that afternoon a person identifying himself as Prashant called up on Punewar's land line number and inquired whether Alka had reached home. Caller also told Punewar's son Pratik that she had left the shoot after a heated argument and she was not picking her cell. when Pratik tried to inquired more, the caller disconnected the phone.

"It was here we started calling Alka but her cell phone kept ringing."On December 30 the Khopri police called up Alka's brother Santosh Mishra who was in Nagpur informing to come immediately to Khopoli on the express way as their car has met with an accident at Khopoli. "We thought our worst fear has turned true. Next day morning Mishra arrived in Mumbai. We reached Khopoli and police showed us the valley but as it was evening, he asked us to come next day morning." Said Mishra.

Next day morning Mishra and Sanjay along with few friends with the help of local police went down the valley and found Alka's mangled car. After hours of search police could not find Alka nor her traces. "The car doors are found locked from inside, no blood traces, seat belts are found open, no foul smell of decomposed body or so and more surprisingly Alka's cell phone was found a 100 meters away from the car with her one SIM card and memory card missing."said Kalpana Joshi, a close family friend of Punware. More surprisingly the eight to ten persons who had called Alka on the fateful day are also not responding and lastly police have also raised question as to how the car fell down the valley from opposite direction when the road is one way.

Police said that entire episode appears to be very shaddy and mysterious. TOI called few of them who said that they were makeup men/ hair dresser and disconnected the phone. Khopri police are now focusing on the two cell phone numbers who had called her last. "We have called those two persons and are making inquiries. It's a very mysterious case and doesnot look like a crystal clear case of accident" said Inspector R I Kazi of Khopri police station.

TOI