Police checking out missing person's report

Oklahoma State University police are<br>looking for an Indonesian student whose father is worried and puzzled that he might be missing.<br> <br>B.M. Kathuria of Indonesia came to Stillwater to visit

Thursday, October 14th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Oklahoma State University police are
looking for an Indonesian student whose father is worried and puzzled that he might be missing.

B.M. Kathuria of Indonesia came to Stillwater to visit his son, former OSU student Prateek Kathuria. The elder Kathuria has distributed posters, contacted law enforcement officers and hospitals and visited his son's friends to try to find his son.

"Candidly, we don't think he's missing," said OSU police ChiefEverett Eaton. "He's an adult. He's probably just has chosen not to make contact with his dad in the last three weeks.

Nevertheless, we're pursuing it as if it were a missing person."

Eaton said his "gut feeling" is that the problem is just the result of a lack of communication.

"We do have a subject that knows that (Prateek) was here on campus on the fifth of October," Eaton said.

OSU police are now waiting for a report from university ID services to find out when the man last used his student ID card, which can be used to pay for meals and other items, he said.

B.M. Kathuria arrived in the United States on Oct. 1. He had sent his son an e-mail before leaving Indonesia and again after he arrived.

Kathuria said his son hadn't checked e-mail since Sept.24.

Kathuria said his son, who was not enrolled this semester, was discouraged about poor school performance and was lonely since his
sister graduated and moved to Kansas.

"The moment I meet with him I'll go to Kansas and from there we will plan what he wants, whether he wants to go to Indonesia ... or
wants to take some courses in Kansas," Kathuria said.