NEW DELHI, MARCH 27 : Two Army soldiers disappeared last week from the troop contingent that had gone to the US for joint counter-terrorism exercises with the elite Marine Corps in California as part of Exercise Shatrujeet.

US Defence authorities lodged a complaint with the local police in California and efforts are on to locate them. While they are currently being referred to as soldiers who are “absent without leave,” sources said the Army may soon declare them deserters. It’s being seen as an illegal migration attempt.

“We are aware of the incident and efforts are on to trace the soldiers who are absent without leave,” said the spokesperson of the Indian Embassy in Washington.

The two, Sanjay Mahato and Santosh Thapa, from the First Gorkha regiment participated in the 10-day exercise that started on March 10. The contingent reached the US on March 8 at the National Training Centre, Fort Irwin, California.

The company-level exercise was being carried out with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton, California, one of the largest US Marine bases in the country.

It’s learnt that the soldiers went missing on March 20, the last day of the exercise, from Camp Pendleton.

Sources said the two men did not have any passport or other travel document on them as these were, as is the practice, with the senior official in-charge of the company, which comprised close to 100 men. The team departed for India on March 22.

The Indian Consul General in San Francisco met US officials to explain the situation.

Only recently, the Army came under the scanner after a racket of forging official passports issued to military bands traveling abroad came to light. The matter was referred to CBI for further investigation.

Officials here are concerned given that this contingent was chosen after careful selection. Usually, the Armed Forces look to send their best team of soldiers and officers to such joint exercises. Exercise Shatrujeet started as part of expanding Indo-US defence cooperation and it was in 2005 that a team had gone to Camp Pendleton for the first time. The next year, US Marines came to India for an exercise at Belgaum.