(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

A Dubai real estate developer has announced a Dh25,000 reward for any information that could help find Rakesh Kumar Jangid, a 39-year-old Indian man who has been missing in the UAE for more than two years.

Kalpesh Kinariwala, founder and chairman of Pantheon Developers, said he felt compelled to step forward after reading last week's Khaleej Times' report on the family's ongoing ordeal.

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“I lost my father when I was 12,” Kinariwala said.“I know what it means for a family to suddenly lose the person they depend on. If this gesture can bring even a small ray of hope to his children or help trace Rakesh, it's the least we can do as a community.”

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Kinariwala said his office has contacted local authorities and the Consulate General of India in Dubai to offer support and ensure the reward aligns with ongoing investigative efforts. He added that any credible lead received through the reward announcement will be passed on to the authorities handling the case.

The Dh25,000 reward, he added, will be given to anyone who provides verifiable information that helps establish Rakesh's whereabouts.“We urge anyone who knows something, no matter how small, to come forward,” he said.

The announcement comes less than a week after Khaleej Times published a detailed account of the family's struggle, including a video message from Rakesh's daughter, Khushi, pleading for help. The report drew attention and calls within the Indian community to assist in the search for the missing worker, who disappeared in July 2023.

Rakesh, a marble installer from Jhunjhunu in the north Indian state of Rajasthan, arrived in Dubai on June 21, 2023, on a 60-day UAE tourist visa in the hope of securing a job. For two weeks, he stayed in regular touch with his family. But on the morning of July 6, they received the last unforgettable call from Rakesh.

According to his elder brother Makhan Lal, Rakesh said he had rushed to the ground floor of the under-construction building in Jebel Ali, where he was working, because two men were fighting on the 14th floor and one of them had claimed that their younger sister had died. The family assured him she was sitting right beside them, but Rakesh remained shaken. It was the last time they ever heard from him.

When Rakesh did not call again, the family contacted the agent who had arranged his Dubai job, but said they received vague answers. In March 2024, the agent sent a voice note claiming Rakesh was in jail and that someone from the family should travel to Dubai. Makhan flew immediately, searching hospitals, detention centres, and construction sites, and registering a missing-person report at Al Muraqqabat Police Station, but found no trace of him.

The family has endured compounding tragedies since Rakesh's disappearance.

“We had already lost one brother in a train accident in Mumbai,” Makhan said.“After Rakesh went missing, our youngest brother became extremely disturbed and passed away in his sleep. Now our parents live each day not knowing whether their third son is alive.”

In response to queries from Khaleej Times, the Consulate General of India in Dubai confirmed that it has been following the case since August 2023 and is coordinating with UAE authorities.

For the family in Jhunjhunu, the reward announcement has been an encouraging development“We are thankful for this,” Makhan Lal said.“When someone sitting so far away cares enough to help, it means a lot to us. At least it feels like we are not completely alone in this.”

He said the family is praying the reward will encourage anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward.“We just want to know what happened to Rakesh. Our parents are getting older. His children ask about him every day.”

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