Ex-Journalist, Missing Since November, Found in Mumbai’s Andheri

N Madhavan, a former consultant at Moneylife, was found in Andheri and has been admitted to a wellness centre.

Former journalist N Madhavan, who had been missing since November 2019.

(Photo Courtesy: Sucheta Dalal)

(Note: This story, first published on 20 January 2020, has been updated on 25 January 2020 after N Madhavan was found)

Almost two months after he went missing, former journalist with Moneylife, N Madhavan, was found in Mumbai’s Andheri area. Madhavan was spotted by residents of the area who tipped off an employee of his former organisation.

While inquiring around Andheri’s Saki Naka area, the 57-year-old was found and taken to the police station.

Found in a bad state, Madhavan’s friends and ex-colleagues from Moneylife, who had reached out for help on social media to find him earlier, got him cleaned up and then admitted to a wellness centre at Mumbai’s Nalasopara.

Madhavan had been missing since November 2019. Worried ex-colleagues had taken to social media around 16 January, asking for help in finding him, after he was allegedly spotted in at Mumbai’s Andheri area on 14 January.

An alumnus of IIM Calcutta, Madhavan started working at Moneylife in 2011 and held the post of Technical Consultant at the publication, when he left the organisation. Over the last few years, his colleagues had noticed an erratic change in the 57-year-old’s behaviour, which only got worse after his mother passed away about a year ago.

“In the middle, he used to not turn up and we used to get worried, so, we used to send people to check out how he is and he would come back in the next few days. This used to happen a bit before he stopped working.”

Sucheta Dalal, Founder Trustee-Moneylife Foundation 

This was not the first time Madhavan had gone missing. His brother, N Krishnan, had filed a complaint on 31 October 2019 at Mumbai’s Saki Naka police station after Madhavan was untraceable for over a month. However, a few days later, on 6 November 2019, he was found at Andheri West and reunited with his brother.

But, his friends and ex-colleagues had been concerned about his well-being and safety after Madhavan was spotted in a bad condition in Andheri.