West Bengal: The Election Commission's nodal officer who has gone missing from his office in Krishnagar was recused from Howrah by West Bengal CID on Thursday. The 30-year-old officer, Arnab Roy, was in-charge of EVMs and VVPATs for the Ranaghat parliamentary constituency.

The Nadia administration had lodged a missing complaint with the Kotwali police station at Krishnagar. Roy's wife, Anisha Jash, also lodged a missing diary with the police on April 18.

Rumours were rife that Roy had an altercation with the district magistrate a few days ago. Gupta, however, denied it. The day he went missing, Roy had left for work from his official residence and went to Bipradas Choudhury Polytechnic College, his current place of work. He went missing from there. His vehicle was found parked outside the college.

Both of his mobile phones were switched off and the police traced their last location near Shantipur, around 18 km from Krishnagar.

Roy's wife dismissed that her husband was "depressed". "I want to clarify that my husband was not depressed at all. He was absolutely normal and was not tensed with anything and I will like to stress that we have been in a healthy relationship," she told reporters after meeting police officers.

The Ranaghat parliamentary constituency, considered to be a stronghold of the Trinamool Congress, will go to polls on April 29, during the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.