Washington, DC: A newly released surveillance video shows a man matching the description of a missing Brown University student walking on a Providence street shortly after he disappeared, reports AP.
Twenty-two-year-old Sunil Tripathi went missing March 16. The video shows a man walking south on Brook Street near Tripathi’s apartment on March 16 at about 1:30 a.m., about 20 minutes after his last-recorded computer activity.
The man on the video is tall and skinny and is wearing a black cap, dark jacket and jeans, matching Tripathi’s description. Tripathi’s family has asked area businesses to turn over their surveillance footage in their efforts to find him.
The anxious family of the 22-year-old Indian-American student has issued a passionate plea for him to return home, reports PTI.
“Sunil please come home, we all love you, we miss you very much,” Akhil Tripathi, father of Sunil told PTI, hoping his youngest of the three children would heed his message and come back home.
Meanwhile, US authorities including the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) have expanded their search for Sunil Tripathi, an Indian-American student of Brown University, who went missing almost two weeks ago.
Police assisted by the FBI are scouring Providence, Rhode Island, and nearby cities for any sign of the missing 22-year-old man, but appear to be no closer to knowing where he is.
Outside of Providence, the search has been extended to Boston, Connecticut, New York, and Philadelphia.
Tripathi was on approved leave from the Ivy League school, meaning that he had requested and was granted time off, but he remained a student there.
“We miss his warm smile and generous gentle spirit so very much. Your help and prayers to find him mean so much,” his family said in a statement.
Tripathi was last seen in the campus area on the morning of March 16. He was wearing blue jeans, a black Eastern Mountain Sports ski jacket, glasses, and a Philadelphia Eagles wool hat. He is about 6 feet tall, 130 pounds and has short dark hair.
Tripathi apparently left his apartment without his wallet and cell phone. As far as police know, he was alone, CNN said.
Tripathi grew up in Radnor, Pennsylvania. His family said he is a talented saxophonist and a philosophy major. He has been living in Providence since 2008.
A public Facebook page has been created to help find Tripathi. Updates on the search effort are being posted there, as well as photographs and messages of encouragement.
“Our concerns are first and foremost with Sunil and his family,” said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for student life and campus services at Brown University. “We are hopeful that by encouraging the Brown community to help spread the word that Sunil will be located.”
