Coast Guard deploys ship off old Mangalore port to search for CCD founder

The Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday said it has deployed a ship off the old Mangalore port to search for V G Siddhartha, the founder of the Café Coffee Day. The Coast Guard said it has also pressed in three diving teams in the search operations.

Siddhartha, the son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna, was reported to have gone missing after he left from Bengaluru on Monday night, police said. ICGS Rajdoot has been tasked to patrol off the old Mangalore Port and maintaining a sharp lookout very close to harbour mouth, while ICGS Savitribai Phule has been kept on standby.

"Air Cushion Vehicle (H-198) is undertaking a search in Nethrvathi River and providing support to CG diving teams. Three diving teams, along with the district disaster relief team, has been deputed to carry out a search for the missing person," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Siddhartha was headed for Sakaleshpur, Karnataka, but on the way, he had asked his driver to go towards Mangaluru, according to the police.

On reaching a bridge over the Netravati river in the Kotepura area in Dakshina Kannada district, he got down from the car and told his driver that he was going for a walk. It was then the driver contacted the police.