Sri Lankan man missing in Australia

17 October 2015 05:34 am

Search operation for missing Sri Lankan man Rajah Thangarajah of Eastlakes has been launched after the father-of-two mysteriously vanished in Australia over a week ago.

The 62-year-old was last seen at his home at about 9.30pm on Thursday, by his daughter Kayathri Thangarajah.

“We’ve looked everywhere we could think of,” she told the Southern Courier.

“He doesn’t have his credit card, he didn’t take any money or his phone, and it’s hard to think where he has been for a week without any of it.”
When Ms Thangarajah left for work on Friday his car was gone.

She assumed he had gone for a morning swim or walk at Coogee, which was his regular activity in recent weeks.

“Police have done sea searches, helicopter searches and bushland searches.

“We’ve done the whole Coogee to Bondi walk and gone all of the way to Maroubra and La Perouse as well and we haven’t found anything or any trace of him.”
Mr Thangarajah’s wife was in Sri Lanka for a family visit, and his son was in Chicago — both of them arrived back to join the search on Sunday.

“We would have expected something to turn up by now. We have had no contact with him and no one has seen him,” Ms Thangarajah said.
Mr Thangarajah has been married for 32 years, and is semi-retired. Ms Thangarajah said he “lived for his family and friends” and his disappearance was “totally out of character”.

“We grew up in Coogee, so he knows the area. He is a strong enough swimmer to be in the water and Coogee was not very choppy at all at that time.”
He is described as being of Indian appearance, 170cm tall and with a medium build. He is balding with greying hair and walks with a hunched gait.