Missing Langley man’s family issues desperate plea for help, police have no leads

Nearly three weeks after he vanished from Downtown Vancouver, there’s an anguished appeal for help from the family of Irshaad Ikbal.

The 36-year-old man hasn’t been seen or heard from since late April and his loved ones say they’ll do anything to bring him home.

Through tears, Fouziah Khairati describes her cousin as an older brother — the one who always makes others laugh.

“We’re a bit in disbelief that it’s been three weeks without Irshaad bhaiya,” Khairati told CityNews. “It’s almost surreal. It’s sickening. We’re so stressed. We’re so worried almost every second of every day. We’re so, so concerned because we don’t know where Irshaad bhaiya is. We don’t know in what way he is or what state.”

Bhaiya is a term of endearment and respect given to older family members.

Khairati admits she hasn’t really slept since he vanished.

“I feel horrible. I honestly feel so helpless. I feel like I can’t do anything, and I can’t bring him home anymore because we have no information. We really need to bring him home because he’s the best. His Mom, Dad, brother, sister, and his niece and nephew are distraught. I’m heartbroken because we don’t have any answers.”

She says they have no clue what may have happened but hold out hope that they will find him.

“I know that he’s out there somewhere. I feel in my heart he’s out there somewhere.”

“And I think … we all believe that he’s out there. We can’t not believe that he’s out there. Our family can’t handle that, and we can’t handle that. We’re praying… it’s just how to bring him home and in what state, we don’t know,” she said.

Khairati says Ikbal’s mental health did not appear to be a concern prior to the disappearance.

“There’s no explanation as to why he wouldn’t come to surface now on his own because he’s so caring and kind. Mother’s Day was on Sunday, and he wasn’t there for that. His Mom and Dad mean the world to him — something had to have gone wrong. He would not stay away from his family or friends for this long on his own.”

The family has posted a $20,000 reward for information to find Ikbal. They’ve also been putting up posters around Vancouver, although some have been torn down in recent weeks and replaced with white supremacy stickers.

“It’s f***ing disgusting,” Khairati said. “We’re going to keep on searching, if not in the Lower Mainland, we’ll continue to broaden the search to as far as we need to get Irshaad bhaiya home.”

She says his disappearance is completely out of character.

They don’t know if he was intoxicated the night he vanished, Khairati explains.

“That’s the other issue. We don’t know if he was impaired. We don’t know if he was on any drugs. We don’t know any of that information and neither does the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). As a Muslim myself, I know that’s considered haram, but we could care less about any of that, we just want him home. But there’s no evidence to say he was drinking or if he was on any drugs.”

Where does the investigation stand?

The VPD says the case will remain open until Ikbal is found.

Police say they’ve checked his social media accounts, phone, and bank records and there has been no activity. Adding, they’ve searched hospitals, shelters, jails, and morgues and there’s zero sign of him. They’ve also used their drone to scan from above and have checked waterways around Vancouver.

“This is both a troubling and puzzling case,” said Sgt. Steve Addison, adding police have had few tips and no significant leads. “For somebody to go missing without any real leads or clues as to what happened is unusual and it’s out of character.”

#VPDNews: Have you seen 36-year-old Irshaad Ikbal? He was last seen around 2 a.m. Saturday near the Plaza of Nations on Pacific Blvd. Anyone who has seen, or knows his whereabouts, is asked to call 911 immediately.

More info: https://t.co/WyuboS9Fvx pic.twitter.com/1FlgJF6Buo

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) May 1, 2023

Addison says police are encouraging anyone out there to call them if they know anything about this case.

“Anyone who may have picked him up and given him a ride. Anybody who was with him. Anybody who has information — just give us a call. It might be the smallest detail that could help us advance this case.”

Police say the longer his disappearance drags on, it becomes increasingly concerning what may have happened to the missing 36-year-old.

“We’re at the point in the investigation where we continue to do everything we can, but the fact that we’re not much further ahead than we were when this investigation started is really troubling for us, and we know it’s troubling for Irshaad’s family,” said Addison.

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The VPD says, at this point, there’s nothing to suggest Ikbal was the victim of a crime.

He attended an event with his girlfriend and friends in Vancouver and vanished after becoming separated from the group. He was last seen around 2 a.m. near the Plaza of Nations on Pacific Boulevard.

Ikbal is described as South Asian, 5’8″ and 155 pounds, with a medium build. He has short black hair, hazel eyes, and a black beard. Police say he was last seen wearing a white button-down shirt with a pink and blue pattern, light blue and ripped denim jeans, and white high-top Converse shoes.

Anyone with information can call the VPD’s Missing Person Unit at 604-717-2530. The family has also set up an anonymous tip line via email.