Police in the Kootenays are searching for a man who went missing after attending the Shambhala Music Festival outside Salmo, BC 30-year-old Harsha Paladugu has not been heard from since July 27. He flew from California to Vancouver on July 20, stayed with a friend, and left the next morning to attend Shambhala via a rideshare. Investigators say there was a report of a possible sighting of Paladugu a week later on July 27, where he was believed to be spotted sitting on Highways 3 and 6 next to a suitcase. This suitcase, which was handed over to the police, has been confirmed as belonging to Paladugu. There was also a report of a South Asian man running through yards in Salmo at 6:40 p.m. on July 27 which is believed to be Paladugu, but this has not been confirmed. He was expected to fly to Toronto to visit a friend after the festival, but that never happened. There have been no further reports of his location and his whereabouts remain completely unknown. He is described as a South Asian male, five-foot-10, 200 pounds with black hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact Salmo RCMP at 250 357-2212.
