December 2, 2005

Dr. Zehra Attari still missing

No solid leads after one month

By Bea Baechle
Editor

Almost a month after her reported disappearance, there is still no trace of Dr. Zehra Attari.

The Evergreen woman, a dedicated doctor who commuted daily to a rough part of Oakland to practice medicine, disappeared without a trace. The 55-year-old Indo-American pediatrician was last seen in her Oakland clinic, 2700
International Blvd., at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7.

Evergreen resident, Dr. Zehra Attari, was last seen at her Oakland clinic on Nov. 7.

Wearing a light blue, long-sleeved knit sweater with navy blue pants, black shoes and black glasses, Attari was presumably heading to Alameda Alliance for Health in a dark gray-silver 2001 Honda Accord to attend a medical conference.

She never arrived. Attari left a bag and keys, along with $700 cash, in the clinic. When her medical assistant called her cell phone at around 6 p.m., it appeared to be turned off. No one has been able to contact her since. Her car, with license plate number 4MUH810, is still missing as well.

“It is a very painful, tough time,” said Dr. Attari’s husband Tasadduq, 60, who lives near Ruby Avenue and Aborn Road. “It’s so overwhelming, you can’t imagine. Time is passing by.”

As each critical day slips by, no solid leads have surfaced in the disappearance of his wife of almost 30 years. “I think they (the Oakland police) are doing what they can do, but I feel that they don’t have enough resources.”

He added that the Alameda County Sheriff is willing to provide divers if the Oakland Police Department formally requests the assistance, and that the FBI has been informed of the case.

The mystery is taking its toll on Tasadduq and his two daughters. Their younger daughter Huma, 20, a junior at UC Berkeley majoring in biological sciences, is struggling to stay focused on her classes with her mom missing.

Their older daughter Ruby Ali, 27, has been granted a leave of absence from her first year of residency at a Sacramento hospital through the UC Davis Medical Program.

Frustrated by the lack of immediate response for her mother, Dr. Ruby Ali pleads for collective involvement in the search for Dr. Attari. “No one is giving us information about what happened to her. I’m sure people out there have seen my mom. How could she just disappear? That’s not possible.”

An initial $10,000 reward offered by the family has been matched by community donations, boosting the reward to $20,000 for any information leading to the discovery of Dr. Attari. “America’s Most Wanted’’ television show has taped a segment on Dr. Attari, but the air date is not set.

“I am very grateful for all the help the Evergreen community has given in the search—setting up meetings; helping in the flyer distribution near her clinic, in downtown San Jose and Evergreen; contacting people and physically searching for her,” said Attari. “People worked hard. I’m very thankful.”

If you have any information or would like to help in the search, call (408) 476-6723 or (510) 557-6695. For more details, go to the Web site: www.zehraattari.com.