by Himangi Jayasundere
A question mark hangs over the disappearance of 38-year-old Wilson Anthony Rodrigo, an airport taxi driver, who disappeared in Akkaraipattu on April 26.

Rodrigo was driving four women and a man towards Akkaraipattu on a hire but at some point beyond the Maradamunai, he disappeared in to thin air or so it seems.

His family members have not heard from him since the morning he drove off with the passengers and police have not received any information about him or the van (250-9678) which he was driving.

J. D. Samala, his sister-in-law said that Rodrigo who is fluent in Tamil agreed to drive the van that day instead of her husband because the passengers were all Tamil speaking people.

Her husband drove the van with the passengers from the Airport to their home in the Katana and Rodrigo took over from there. There were four females and one male in the van, Samala recounts.

From the five passengers who were in the van that morning, Rodrigo’s family has been able to trace the man who was dropped off at Maradamunai and he has been identified as Ibrahim Lebbe Rasoor. Rasoor has also made a statement to the Akkaraipattu police on the request of the family.

According to what Rasoor had told the family three of the women got off from the van in Batticaloa. Rasoor himself got off at Maradamunai and the last woman who was left in the van told him that she would be getting off at Akkaraipattu town.

"We don’t know what happened to Rodrigo after he left Maradamunai", Samala said adding that the last woman may have got out of the van at the Akkaraipattu town or got herself dropped off at her house.

The family also expressed a fear that Rodrigo may have been abducted by the LTTE. Family members said that police officers had said that they were unable to look for Rodrigo beyond a certain point because they could not go into the LTTE held areas.

Rodrigo’s signature appears on a sheet at the Valachchenai check point, but not at any of the check points beyond Valachchenai.

Akkaraipattu police yesterday said they had spoken to the LTTE about the matter to verify if Rodrigo had been abducted by the LTTE. "But the LTTE says no" OIC Crimes, Akkaraipattu, SI, A. M. U. Alahakoon said.

He said that police had contacted people who had come from abroad in the days coinciding with his disappearance, but they found no leads.

He said that the Akkaraipattu police had also received some information that a similar vehicle had arrived at Akkaraipattu on the day in question but within five minutes it had turned and driven back. "However nobody noted the number plate and we are not sure if it is the same van", the OIC said.

Police point out that if the vehicle had been in an accident it would have been reported by now.

Due to the long drive he may have stayed the night at a friend‘s in Ampara, Samala says. But she adds that his family had requested him to give them a telephone call once he reached his destination. The day after his disappearance April 27, Rodrigo did not return, neither was there a telephone call. On April 28 his family began to search for him.

A complaint was made at the Avariawatte, police station in Katunayake. But the OIC of the Police station yesterday said that they had not received any information about Rodrigo who has been missing now for two weeks. He said they had informed police stations situated on all possible routes that Rodirigo could have taken.