The Parmar family remains hopeful, but with no resolution in sight, their journey continues—driven by love, fear, and the need for closure
An Indian woman has traveled to Dubai with her son in a desperate bid to locate her husband, who has been missing for over three years. Sanjay Motilal Parmar, a 53-year-old father of two from Vadodara, Gujarat, worked as a construction laborer in Sharjah before he vanished without a trace, Khaleej Times reported.
Sanjay last contacted his family in March 2021. After weeks of silence, his family reported him missing to UAE authorities through the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Despite numerous attempts to locate him, including follow-ups with officials, the case remains unresolved.
In a renewed effort, Komal, Sanjay’s wife, and their 20-year-old son Aayush, arrived in Dubai last week. Komal expressed her anguish in an interview, stating, “We’ve reached a dead end and are running out of money quickly. We’ve borrowed from friends just to stay in a hotel. We’ve exhausted all our resources, and we need answers. How can a man disappear like this?”
Aayush, who is pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, remains optimistic. He shared that immigration authorities have confirmed Sanjay never left the UAE, and the Indian Consulate confirmed he is not imprisoned but has been marked as “missing” by his employer. “I’m confident we’ll find him. We have to,” Aayush said with determination.
Despite being emotionally and financially strained, Komal and her son are determined to continue their search. “We’re hanging in by a thread,” Komal said. “I just want to know what happened to him. We need to know if he’s alive.”
Sanjay initially arrived in the UAE on a visit visa in March 2020 and secured a job in Sharjah before his sudden disappearance. Komal recalled that her husband was diligent about staying in touch, calling them twice daily. “He never missed a call. Even when things were hard, he ensured we were okay and sent money whenever possible. I knew something was wrong when he stopped calling, especially on Aayush’s 17th birthday.”
Adding to the mystery, Komal received a cryptic message from Sanjay’s Facebook account in July 2021. Written in Gujarati, it stated that he had lost his phone. This unusual communication raised further concern, as Sanjay had never used Facebook Messenger to contact his family before. Despite immediate attempts to reach him, Komal never received a response. Since then, his Facebook account has remained inactive, deepening the family’s anxiety and confusion.
In their search for Sanjay, Komal and Aayush have reached out to the local Gujarati community in the UAE, circulating his photo in various WhatsApp groups in the hope that someone may recognize him. However, their efforts have yet to produce any leads. “We’ve done everything we can think of. We’ve contacted community groups and talked to people,” Komal said.
The family has also sought assistance from political leaders in India. Their Member of Parliament (MP) wrote to the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi, but the responses have been the same. As of August 13, the embassy confirmed that Sanjay remains in the UAE, has no legal cases against him, and was reported “absconding” by his employer.
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