Irish nationals Ilze Skromane and her 33-year-old sister Liga Skromane came to Kerala in February, so that Liga could receive Ayurvedic therapy for depression. However, with just a week left for the therapy to end, Liga went missing on Wednesday. And four days since the vulnerable woman’s disappearance, the Kerala police seems to be stabbing in the dark in their efforts to find her.
Ilze and Liga were staying at Dharma Ayurvedic and Healing Centre in Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram since February 21, and this is where Liga was last seen before she went missing on Wednesday. Along with Liga’s husband, who has now reached Thiruvananthapuram, Ilze has been frantically searching for her sister, and has put up several look-out posters in the city.
Speaking to TNM, Ilze says that on the day she went missing, Liga had refused to join her for a yoga session at the centre, saying that she had a headache.
"We came here for a 6-week treatment. Liga is suffering from post traumatic depression and just when she was showing signs of improvement, this happened. That morning, instead of getting ready for the yoga session at 6.30 am, she went back to bed. She told me that she had a headache and that she wanted to lie down. When I came back by 7.30 am, she had disappeared," Ilze says.
Yaqoob, the manager at the centre says, "Ilze didn't feel anything unusual, since Liga used to go out to get cigarettes on her own. But even after half an hour, when Liga didn't return, we started to look for her. People had seen her hire an autorickshaw."
With the help of the staff at the centre, Ilze soon found out that Liga had gone to Kovalam beach.
"The auto driver told us that Liga asked him to take her to a beach. Liga didn't know which beach she wanted to go to, and so the driver suggested a few names. When he mentioned Kovalam, Liga asked him to take her there. We immediately went to the beach and searched for her, but couldn't find her at all,” Ilze says.
“She is vulnerable and gentle, she is too trusting. My worst fear is that someone may have approached her for something bad. That's my biggest worry," a worried Ilze tells TMM.
On Saturday, Ilze approached Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner and the Chief Minister's office to file a complaint about her missing sister.
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner tells TNM that a missing persons complaint was registered at Pothencode police station the same day Liga went missing.
"We are assisting the Pothencode police in the investigation. We have put together a team for this purpose. We are in the process of searching for the missing woman," he said.
But four days after Liga went missing, the police appears to be searching in the dark.
Speaking to TNM, Pothencode Sub-Inspector say that they are searching for Liga at all prominent tourist places in the district. According to the police, Liga behind all her belongings including her passport, and had in her possession only Rs 2000.
The police have extended their search operations to Vizhinjam and other popular tourist places in the district.
"We are searching homestays and resorts now. We are also inquiring in Varkala, where the sisters first went to. Liga is said to have gone missing in Varkala as well, but her sister was able to trace her soon," the SI said.
Liga and Ilze came to Kerala on February 2. The duo who first reached Kochi, spent some days in Varkala, before reaching Pothencode.
The SI said that although Liga is believed to have gone on her own from the ayurvedic centre, the police is also looking into the possibility of criminal activity.
"We don't know if something happened to her, or someone might have caused her harm. We cannot say that now, we are looking into all angles," the police said.