Missing sub-inspector from U.P.’s Basti found dead in Ayodhya; probe on

The body of a police sub-inspector, who had been missing since Thursday (February 5, 2026) from Basti district, was recovered from the Ghaghra river in Ayodhya on Sunday (February 8, 2026), police said.

The deceased was identified as Sub-Inspector Ajay Gaur, who was posted at the Parsarampur police station in Basti district. He had gone missing under suspicious circumstances on February 5.

Police said that during the search operation, Gaur’s abandoned motorcycle was found near Amhat Ghat in Basti district, deepening fears of some untoward incident.

SP (City) Ayodhya Chakrapani Tripathi said the sub-inspector’s body was recovered from the river in the Vikramjot police outpost area.

“The body was in a full police uniform, due to which identification was quick,” Tripathi said.

According to police, Gaur had been missing since the evening of February 5.

In her statement to the police, his wife said she last spoke to her husband that evening for just two to three seconds before the call got disconnected.

“When she tried to contact him again later in the night, his mobile phone was switched off. The next morning, when there was still no contact, she called the constable who stays with the sub-inspector and learnt that he had not returned to his room since the previous night,” an officer said.

The wife also told police that Gaur had received death threats in the past due to an old case-related grudge, the officer added.

Following her complaint, police registered a missing person case and launched a search operation, which led to the recovery of the body.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances leading to the sub-inspector’s death, police said.