The Jharkhand High Court has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the investigation into the disappearance of a teenage girl from Bokaro, missing for nearly six years. The court has summoned the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appear in person for a hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 2.15 p.m.
During the court session with Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Sanjay Prasad, updates on the investigation were provided by both the CID and the CBI. The court scrutinized the progress, evidence, and actions taken by the agencies, questioning why the girl has not been found after such a long time and demanding concrete steps to conclude the investigation.
In response to the gravity of the situation, the bench has instructed the CBI SP to attend the next hearing to update the court on the progress and future plans. The case involves a 14-year-old girl who went missing from the Pindrajora police station area of Bokaro district on October 16, 2020.
A report following the FIR treated the incident as an abduction, with the girl’s belongings found near the disappearance site. Despite the lack of leads, the family sought the High Court’s intervention through a habeas corpus petition. The court had earlier involved the CBI in the investigation, emphasizing coordination with the CID and utilizing the CBI’s expertise.
The CID mentioned an e-KYC exercise identifying a girl in Bihar resembling the missing teenager, but identity verification methods did not confirm her as the missing girl. The High Court has previously expressed concerns about delays in the investigation.
