Sanjay Dhital search joined by mountain rescue team

MOUNTAIN rescue specialists are to search Holyrood Park in the hunt for a Nepalese student who vanished from his Leith home on Boxing Day.

Fears are growing for the safety of 24-year-old Sanjay Dhital, pictured, last seen at his flat in Elm Row a month ago.

Teams of volunteers from the Borders Search and Rescue Unit and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue are set to assist police officers by carrying out rope-access searches of Holyrood Park tomorrow.

Officers were today due to conduct searches and other inquiries in the area around Elm Row, off Leith Walk.

Similar checks were completed at the Granton campus of Edinburgh College, where Sanjay is a student, in the hope of finding information on his whereabouts.

His brother, Sailesh Dhital, who lives in Kathmandu, Nepal, has also made a fresh appeal for help in finding him.

Last March, the remains of a missing city barman were discovered in Holyrood Park more than five years after he went missing.

Police identified the remains found by a hillwalker on Salisbury Crags on March 9 as belonging to Alan Templeton, who was last seen in November 2006, aged 25.

Inspector Kevin McLean, who is leading the inquiry, said the park search was due to be carried out between 11am and 3pm tomorrow.

He said: “We are grateful to both Borders Search and Rescue Unit and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team for their support this weekend.

“We have carried out searches of the area around Elm Row, but it is important that we now sweep the hard-to-reach areas around Arthur’s Seat.

“Door-to-door inquiries continue to be carried out, and we are still appealing for anyone who might know where Sanjay is, or who may have seen him since Boxing Day, to contact us on 0131-311 3131.”

Sanjay has not been in touch with his friends or family since being last seen on December 26.

Police have described his disappearance as “extremely out of character”.

In his final year of studies at Edinburgh College, Sanjay has a part-time job at Saigon Saigon restaurant in South St Andrew Street.

He is described as being 5ft 6in tall, slim with untidy black hair and had a stubbly complexion when he was last seen, although police believe he may now have a full beard.

Sanjay’s brother, Sailesh, said: “This is a very difficult time for our family as we’re all worried about Sanjay, and desperate to hear from him.”

Anyone with any information on Sanjay’s whereabouts is urged to contact police on 0131-311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers in complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.