Fresh appeal to find woman missing for 50 years

A fresh appeal has been launched to find a woman from Birmingham who has been missing for nearly 50 years.

Sarjit Kaur Mann, whose 70th birthday is on Saturday, was last seen in September 1976, while on holiday in France with her family.

West Midlands Police, which continues to appeal for information about her disappearance, said Mann remained in France when her family returned to the UK, later receiving a call from an unidentified woman who claimed she had drowned.

PC Shaun Reeve said: "What happened to Sarjit in France remains a mystery and we have always kept an open mind as to what happened to her."

Mann, who was then aged 20 and a student at the University of Birmingham, had travelled to Antibes in the south of France with her family in the summer of 1976.

While there, she asked to stay behind when her family returned home, saying she wanted to spend time with some people she had met and visit some of the local museums, but she was never seen again.

Reeve, from the force's Missing Person Investigation Unit, said Mann was believed to have met a group of women of a similar age, one who was called Jane.

"We believe Jane called Sarjit's family a few days after they returned home and told them their daughter had drowned before hanging up," he added.

"Whether this caller was Jane or not, we do not know.

"The caller was never identified and Sarjit has never been found."

Anyone with information that might help the investigation has been asked to contact the force directly.

"Even though this was a long time ago, we will never stop investigating any new information we receive as we try to bring some answers, or closure, to Sarjit's family after nearly 50 years," officers added.

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