Thiruvananthapuram ∙ Fr. George Joshua Fr. George Joshua told Manorama News that it is suspected that they drowned with proper planning. It is suspected that a large group is behind this. The six people left without even taking their passports and clothes. There are even 69-year-old mothers among them, he said.
According to the complaint, Shiny Raju, Raju Thomas, Mercy Baby, Annie Gomez Sebastian, Lucy Raju and Kamalam, who were part of the 26-member travel group, went missing in Israel. Fr said that he has been visiting Israel with pilgrims since 2006. According to the complaint filed by George Joshua. Six people went missing when they arrived in Israel with a group of 26 members on February 11. The complaint has been filed including the passport number of the drowned persons from the group.
“I have been leading the visit to the Holy Land since 2006. It is a purely spiritual journey. This is the first time such an incident has happened in a long time. It seems to be a post-Covid trend. Didn’t one of the government’s team go the other day? It is not the government’s fault.’ – Fr. George Joshua said.
“It doesn’t matter how much we watch the people being taken. They behave in a way that makes us believe. I suspect that there is a large group behind this. On the same day they went missing, I informed the immigration police by e-mail. As there was no response, the local police was also informed. They came right away and asked and understood everything’ – Fr. George Joshua explained.
‘I returned on the evening of the 19th following the journey. A complaint was lodged with the DGP on the 21st. That is the right way. He immediately mailed me a reply. It has been informed that the matter of this case has been assigned to a special team.’ – he said.
“Initially, we filed a complaint under the impression that they were missing. But now it is certain that it was done on purpose. There is not even a visa for such trips. Those in the group sent by the government got visas. But that’s not the case here. They only get a permit to go there for a few days. 69-year-old mothers are among the six who have left. I don’t understand what they are doing there. In any case, it is not possible to dive like this without the support of people who know the place.’ – Fr. George Joshua pointed out.
English Summary: Six Kerala pilgrims including five women go missing in Israel; passport, other documents found at hotel