Missing since February 26: Deepika's family waits, torn between hope and dread

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• The blood samples collected from her partner's car are currently under analysis.
  Deepika, 37 years old, mother of two young children, has been missing since February 26. Her partner, Dr. Arvind Ramchurn, has been arrested. Her family clings to hope, but the days go by.
  At Deepika's father’s home in Lallmatie, he waits. He has been waiting for several weeks now, since the day his daughter vanished without a trace. The police came to check that night... she was not there. The officers left, and since then, nothing.
  As a mother of a three-year-old and an eight-month-old baby, she would never have left them without a reason. "She never went out without her children," her aunt confides. "Her kids are still small and need her. She has a baby of eight months." This statement resonates, as a harsh truth, an impossibility.
  Deepika met Dr. Arvind Ramchurn about thirteen years ago. She moved in with him, and they started a family, renting a house in Fond-du-Sac. She would sometimes visit her father in Lallmatie but spoke little of her private life. "They had come before, but they seemed to be getting along well," the aunt says. Yet appearances were deceiving.
  Behind the facade, Deepika faced a reality her family did not fully grasp. "We didn’t know what she was going through. One day, she came to us and explained that she had to go to a women’s shelter." This revelation shocked them. But Deepika returned to him, to her children, to that house in Fond-du-Sac where no one truly knew what happened behind closed doors.
  The landlord had no idea of the turmoil. "They seemed to get along well. The doctor is a professional, always punctual with his payments," he explains. Yet, some time ago, he had seen the doctor looking troubled. He asked if everything was okay. "He told me he had issues with his partner. That’s their private life, and I didn’t want to know more."
  On February 26, it was Arvind Ramchurn himself who called the family. He wanted to know if Deepika was at her father’s place. She wasn’t there. The father then went to the police station to report his daughter's disappearance. On March 3, in his own complaint, Dr. Ramchurn stated that when he returned home, his partner had already left without any indication.
  However, investigators from the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) soon took a closer look at this account. A Bluestar test conducted at the house in Fond-du-Sac and in the doctor’s vehicle revealed traces of blood. Samples have been taken and are under analysis.
  Dr. Ramchurn has been arrested. He has provided alibis, denies any involvement, and rejects the murder theory. He has retained the services of lawyer Me Rama Valayden. On Wednesday, he appeared before the Pamplemousses court. The police objected to his release on bail. He remains in custody.
  In Lallmatie, the family is at a loss. They do not want to think the worst, even though the worst now looms with each new day. "We hold onto hope that she will appear," the aunt says, as if to ward off the heavy air that has lingered for too long.
  Meanwhile, the father continues to wait. The two children also await their mother, though they may not fully understand.
  The search continues.