Seventy-two hours have passed but there is no sign yet of 23-year-old Naiyar Akhtar.

Police said no ransom call had been made and so his disappearance remained shrouded in mystery.

Naiyar, whose father owns a movie hall-turned-hotel on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, went missing after leaving his Royd Street residence on May 20 morning.

Javed Akhtar, Naiyar’s father, is behind bars in Bodh Gaya for his alleged role in a murder over a property dispute. Naiyar’s disappearance is being linked to the dispute and murder of Shahjahan Khan, a neighbour of the Akhtars in Bodh Gaya.

Naiyar, a second-year dropout from an institute offering bachelors in business administration (BBA) in Bangalore, had left home after receiving a call on his cellphone.

The call was from Shabbir Khan, a 35-year-old resident of Tiljala, who had some link with the Khan family of Gaya. He allegedly asked Naiyar to meet him on Camac Street.

There is no trace of Shabbir. The police have launched a hunt for the man from Chamrapatti on Tiljala Road, under Karaya police station.

“When I visited Shabbir’s house on May 21, the morning after Naiyar went missing, his wife said she had no clue to his whereabouts. I think he is behind my brother Naiyar’s abduction,” said Janwad Ali.

The police have learnt that Naiyar had met Shabbir on a few occasions. “On Sunday, Shabbir had turned up with a few others while meeting Naiyar. Our officers are trying to piece together the details,” said deputy commissioner (south) Ajoy Kumar.

Shabbir’s wife Tanvir Fatema told the police that she would dare not ask her husband about his work.

“Every time I tried asking him what he did and how much he earned, he would flare up. He even beat me up saying that was none of my business,” the mother of three told sleuths.

Shabbir’s mother doesn’t live with him and his cousin Zafar Iman Khan labelled him the black sheep of the family.

According to family members, Naiyar left home around 9.30am on Sunday after receiving a call from Shabbir.

“A year back, the Khans had offered to bury the hatchet in exchange for a few crores. We turned it down expressing our inability to cough up the amount. Now they have kidnapped my brother in desperation,” alleged Janwad.