The distraught family of a missing Bradford University student told yesterday how his disappearance was out of character and they had no idea why he travelled to Liverpool Aamir Qudeer, who turned 21 today, was last seen by friends on Wednesday afternoon.

His family have urged anyone who knows where he is to come forward and said it was unlike him to have vanished without letting anyone know where he was.

After initial police investigations, a witness came forward and said he saw Aamir in Leeds train station on Wednesday afternoon.

Police have since determined that he got the train to Liverpool Lime Street Station, arriving there at about 6pm. The west Yorkshire force is working with Merseyside Police to trace him.

Aamir, of the Moortown area of Leeds, is in his first year at Bradford University and lives in Forster Hall on Great Horton Road.

His older sister, Nailah, said he seemed to be very happy at university.

She said: “He wanted to go to university to experience student life away from home. He is extremely close to his family and usually if he has gone anywhere he would notify someone in the family.

“We don’t know why he would go to Liverpool. The only link that we know of is he once had an interview at John Moores University there a couple of years ago.

“We can’t think of any reason he’d disappear. He came home the previous Friday and spent the weekend with us and he was completely normal. When he left to go back to Bradford on the Sunday, he said ‘See you on Friday.’”

She said her family first realised something was wrong on Thursday when the university got in touch to try to find out where he was. Despite his family, including mum Zatoon and dad Abdul, trying to get in touch, he has not replied to phone calls or texts.

Detective Inspector Alan Flynn, of Bradford CID, said: “I would appeal to Aamir or anyone who sees him to get in contact with police on 101.”