Ranchi, Aug 29 : The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the disappearance of a minor girl who has remained untraced since October 2020, citing possible interstate trafficking links and the complexity of the investigation.
A bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Sanjay Prasad passed the order while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the girl’s mother. The court directed the Jharkhand CID to hand over all case records and ordered periodic monitoring of the investigation by the CBI.
The girl, who was around 14 years old at the time, went missing from Bokaro on October 16, 2020. She had reportedly left home at around 10.45 am to attend tuition classes but did not return. Her bicycle, slippers and notebooks were later found scattered on the roadside, raising concerns that she may have been abducted.
Her father lodged an FIR the same day. However, despite repeated efforts by the family and the passage of more than five years, the girl could not be traced.
Court flags lack of progress
The girl’s mother subsequently approached the High Court after alleging that repeated representations to police and senior authorities had failed to produce results. During the proceedings, the state informed the court that the matter had been transferred to the CID on April 20, which subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team.
The High Court, however, observed that the CID and SIT had failed to make significant progress in locating the girl.
The investigation reportedly uncovered possible interstate trafficking links, with digital activity connected to locations including Delhi, Telangana and West Bengal. The case also involves digital trails that may require information from technology companies operating outside India.
Need for specialised technology
The court noted that the investigation required advanced forensic and digital capabilities that were not readily available with the state agencies. The state had acknowledged limitations in accessing certain sophisticated forensic tools.
The court also observed that obtaining digital information from entities such as Meta and Google could be necessary to trace the missing girl and establish the sequence of events.
Given the prolonged disappearance, the interstate dimensions of the case, suspected trafficking angle and the need for specialised investigative resources, the court concluded that transferring the probe to the CBI was necessary.
The court said the transfer was intended to facilitate a more effective investigation and efforts to trace and recover the missing minor. The CBI will now examine the available evidence and pursue leads across different states and digital platforms.
