A man from Pune has approached police after finding the photo of his father, who has been missing for the past three years, on a poster of the Maharashtra government's Mukhyamantra Teerth Darshan Yojana that was recently uploaded on a social media account linked to the ruling Shiv Sena.

Bharat Tambe of Shikrapur here said the police and the state government must look into the details of this advertisement that appeared on Instagram and the circumstances under which his 68-year-old father Dnyaneshwar Tambe's photo was taken so that the latter can be traced and reunited with his family.

"One of my friends saw this advertisement and alerted me by sending a screenshot. My father is missing for the past three years. I have filed a missing person complaint at Shikrapur police station. The authorities and the state government must trace my father. The social media post featuring the advertisement has now been deleted," Bharat Tambe, an eatery owner, told PTI on Monday.

"We had not filed a complaint earlier as my father had the habit of going to homes of relatives without informing anyone. He used to return in a few days. There is a possibility this photograph has been taken from the wari (foot march of Lord Vitthal devotees) from Alandi to Pandharpur," he said.

Shikrapur police station senior inspector Deepratan Gaikwad said two teams have been formed to trace Dnyaneshwar Tambe after the missing person complaint was lodged.

"Our focus is on Pandharpur and Alandi since the family suspects the photograph was taken during wari. We will also check how the photo appeared on the advertisement for more leads," Gaikwad said.

After reports of the missing man appeared in a section of the media, the state government issued a clarification claiming the advertisement was not released by it nor was it posted through any government linked social media account.

The Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana announced recently aims take senior citizens belonging to all communities on pilgrimages.

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