Former RSS chief KS Sudarshan on Wednesday gave some anxious moments to his family and police when he went "missing" after going for his morning walk in Mysore before he was traced to a house.

Eighty one-year-old Sudarshan, believed to be suffering from dementia, had lost his way and was later traced by police to a house in Mysore around noon, some five km away from where he stayed, Mysore Police Commissioner KL Sudhir said.

The house inmate Ashwath told reporters that Sudarshan came to them asking for drinking water due to fatigue.

"Seeing Sudarshan's age, my mother asked me to invite him in and we gave him water. He was in my house for nearly one hour and I didn't know he was the former RSS chief," he said.

Ashwath said he identified Sudarshan after watching TV channels broadcasting Sudarshan's "missing" news. "I immediately informed police and three policemen came to my house and took him in their vehicle," he said.

Earlier, the complaint by his brother Ramesh, with whom he was staying for the past three days, created a scare, with police and RSS volunteers launching a vigorous search for him.

RSS had also in a statement earlier said that Sudarshan was missing, saying he went for a walk and did not return.

Sudarashan had left for the morning walk alone at 5.20 am.

Acting on the complaint, police had formed 20 teams to trace him. RSS Swayamsevaks had also joined in the vigorous search operations.

Sudarshan hails from Kuppahalli village of K R Pete taluk of Mandya District in Karnataka.He served as RSS Pracharak for six decades. He became RSS Sarasanghachalak in 2000 and held the post till 2009.

After retiring from the post of RSS chief, Sudarshan had been living in Bhopal.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Uma Shanker Gupta had spoken to the Karnataka DGP on efforts to trace the former RSS chief.

Gupta said in Bhopal that two guards from Madhya Pradesh, who normally accompany him, were not with Sudarshan at the time he went missing.

He said the guards were in the local Sangh office when reports came in that Sudarshan has gone missing.