His family fears he could have been abducted and has appealed for his release at the earliest. The family called a press conference in Tulsipur on Wednesday after they failed to find out his whereabouts.
According to his family, Gautam had left for Kathmandu from Bijauri on a bus on Sunday but went missing before reaching the district headquarters Ghorahi. Ghorahi lies about 20 km to the east of Bijauri.
Gautam, who lives in Kathmandu, was in the district for the Nepali Congress constituency-level convention.
At the press conference, his son Avesh Gautam said they haven´t received any threats or phone calls for ransom from anybody so far. He appealed for his father´s safe release saying he was ill and needed to take medicines regularly.
Gautam´s mobile phone has also been switched off since the day he disappeared.
Area Police Office Tulasipur said the Gautam family hasn´t lodged a written complaint but asked them to search for him. The family had informed the police the day he went missing. Police said they have informed nearby police posts about Gautam´s disappearance.
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