Digboi: More than seven months after the mysterious disappearance of Digboi-based businessman Putul Sarmah, the case remains unresolved, raising serious questions about the progress and effectiveness of the police investigation. With no concrete breakthrough despite months of inquiry, the family has now sought urgent intervention from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police.
Putul Sarmah, proprietor of Prasanna Welding Industries, has been associated with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for more than four decades and has long served as the principal stakeholder and decision-maker of the enterprise. His sudden disappearance has not only plunged the family into deep distress but has also significantly disrupted the functioning of their long-standing business operations.
According to family members, several ongoing projects linked to the company have already been terminated due to the absence of its key decision-maker.
Sarmah reportedly went missing on the night of August 12, 2025, after leaving his office located at Borbil in Digboi. According to the complaint later filed by his wife, Namita Sarmah, the businessman left the office at around 9:38 pm that night but never returned home.
A missing person report was subsequently lodged at Digboi Police Station on August 14, 2025, nearly 24 hours after his disappearance. The family later submitted another representation to the authorities on August 28, 2025. However, despite the passage of several months since the complaint was filed, the family says there has been little clarity regarding what happened to Sarmah after he left the office that night.
Details emerging from a police report submitted by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia, to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Assam, indicate that several events unfolded at Sarmah’s office shortly before his disappearance.
According to the report, on the evening of August 12, an employee identified as Nitul Das visited the office along with a woman identified as Pompi Nahar Deka Das at around 8:00 pm. Around the same time, Sarmah’s wife also arrived at the office premises and reportedly questioned the purpose of their visit during the late evening hours.
Statements recorded during the investigation indicate that Nitul Das and the woman left the office at around 9:10 pm. Soon after their departure, an argument allegedly broke out between Putul Sarmah and his wife over the matter.
At approximately 9:38 pm, both of them left the office premises together. While Namita Sarmah returned home, Putul Sarmah did not.
The following morning, staff members arriving at the office reportedly found the premises open and immediately informed the family. When Namita Sarmah reached the office, she discovered that two mobile phones, an identity card, ATM cards and a purse belonging to Sarmah had been left behind, further deepening the mystery surrounding his sudden disappearance.
During the course of the investigation, police reportedly received information on August 17, 2025 suggesting that Sarmah had been seen walking along NH-315 near Golai on the night he went missing.
Investigators subsequently examined CCTV footage along the highway stretch from AOD School to Margherita. The footage reportedly showed Sarmah walking along the road and reaching Powai Centre at around 12:10 am. Beyond that point, however, no further CCTV footage of him has been traced.
According to the police report, investigators circulated wireless messages to police stations across Assam, examined CCTV recordings, and conducted checks at railway stations, bus terminals, hospitals, hotels and other possible locations in an effort to locate the missing businessman.
In addition, a police team was reportedly dispatched towards the Changlang check post in Arunachal Pradesh, and authorities there were requested to assist in tracing the missing individual.
Investigators also examined call detail records of Sarmah and several individuals connected to him, and made attempts to retrieve deleted messages from his mobile phone. Despite these investigative steps, however, no concrete clue has yet emerged regarding his whereabouts.
A formal case was registered at Digboi Police Station as Digboi P.S. Case No. 130/2025 under Section 140(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the investigation remains ongoing.
The police report also indicates that investigators found signs of a family dispute prior to the disappearance, though no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding its relevance to the case.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, the Sarmah family later approached the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Assam, seeking assistance in the matter. Following the appeal, the CMO sought a report from the district authorities, after which the action-taken report from Tinsukia Police was submitted.
However, for the family, the official response has brought little clarity or closure.
With the case still unresolved after several months, Darshan Sarmah, the missing businessman’s son, has now appealed directly to the CID to take over the investigation and conduct a fresh probe.
“My father has been missing for more than seven months. Despite repeated complaints and enquiries, there is still no clarity about what happened to him,” Darshan Sarmah said in his appeal.
He further stated that the prolonged absence of his father not only continues to affect the emotional well-being of the family but also threatens the stability and credibility of the enterprise built over decades.
The family has expressed its willingness to cooperate fully with investigators and hopes that intervention by a higher investigative authority may finally lead to fresh leads in a case that has remained shrouded in uncertainty for months.