Birthday gathering to remember missing man

Srikanth Rayadurgam. Photo / Supplied

At this time last year, Nagesh Kakanoor was busy preparing for a party to celebrate his 23-year-old brother-in-law Srikanth Rayadurgam's first birthday in New Zealand.

But tomorrow - on the day Mr Rayadurgam should turn 24 - there will be no curry, music or dance.

Instead, family and friends will be having a quiet gathering at Mr Kakanoor's Mt Albert home, with their thoughts on Mr Rayadurgam and how he could have vanished so mysteriously nine months ago.

Mr Rayadurgam last left his sister Padam and Mr Kakanoor's home on October 1 last year, and little did the family expect that it would be the last time they would see him.

Later that day, he withdrew $250 out of a Queen St bank machine and that night tried to phone his uncle in India on his cellphone from Karangahape Rd.

His wallet and some personal items were found in the Westhaven Marina the following day, but Mr Kakanoor is angry that it took the police more than a week to send divers to search the area.

Last month, Mr Kakanoor made a request for police files on the case under the Official Information Act to find out what caused the delays.

Police had told the family they believed Mr Rayadurgam was probably dead, but Mr Kakanoor said friends and family were still clinging to the hope that he would be found alive.

"We are hoping for the best, but as the months go by, we are expecting the worst," he said.

"But without a body, there is no closure. And the thought of whether he is dead or alive, whether anything bad had happened to him ... all that playing on our minds every day is just absolute torture. The only time I have peace is when I close my eyes to sleep."

Detective Superintendent Andy Lovelock said the file on Mr Rayadurgam remained open.

He asked anyone with information about Mr Rayadurgam's disappearance to phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.