A businessman in his late 20s, who went missing on Saturday evening from Strand Road, returned to his Maniktala Road house on Sunday afternoon.

According to police, Neeraj Agarwal stepped out of his Strand Road shop around 6pm on Saturday. He would usually return home in a taxi with his father Bhola. On Saturday, however, Neeraj left the shop alone, without informing anyone. He has a wife and child.

His relatives informed Jorabagan police station on Sunday morning. Neeraj came back home in a taxi around 5.30pm.

“When questioned, Neeraj claimed that he went to Tarakeswar with his cousin, who lives in Alipore. He said he had not informed his family as he was scared of his father. His account defies logic, though he has given it to us in writing,” said Dayamanti Sen, the deputy commissioner (north).

The businessman, who deals in oil and pulses, told his relatives that a taxi driver had taken him to Victoria Memorial on Saturday, before bringing out a handkerchief dipped in chloroform, said an investigating officer.

Neeraj claimed that he could not remember what happened after that. The businessman might have been kidnapped and released after he paid a ransom, added the investigator.

Bhola said that he had tried to call his son but the phone was switched off.