The girl disappeared on December 11, 2017, from the Aron police station area in Guna. Initial investigations were carried out by the state police for nearly eight-and-a-half years, but yielded no concrete leads. Following persistent pleas by the victim’s father and continued judicial concern over the lack of progress, the High Court transferred the case to the CBI on December 17, 2024.
However, after 13 months of investigation, the central agency has also been unable to locate the missing girl. Aggrieved by the outcome, the father has once again approached the court, prompting it to revive the matter under a habeas corpus petition. The High Court has now directed the CBI investigating officer to appear with the complete case diary and clarify what steps have been taken to trace the minor.
According to the petitioner, suspicion had earlier been raised against a man identified as Jitendra Prajapati, but neither the state police nor the CBI conducted what the family considers a thorough interrogation. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 16.
Representing the petitioner, advocate Anil Shrivastava argued that the CBI failed to investigate the case with the seriousness it demanded, despite the long passage of time and repeated judicial directions. He contended that procedural delays and lack of focused inquiry have further reduced the chances of finding the missing girl.
The CBI, in its submission to the court, said a status report had already been filed and that it proposes to submit a final report before the competent court after completing all formalities. The bench, however, expressed dissatisfaction and instructed the agency to place the entire case diary on record at the next hearing.
The case has seen multiple layers of investigation over the years. In 2017, the father had first moved the High Court after local police failed to make progress. At one stage, the court summoned senior police officials, including the Gwalior Inspector General, who ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT also failed to crack the case.
Investigators had earlier conducted narco-analysis tests on several suspects, including the girl’s father, in Gujarat. Despite these measures and the announcement of a reward for information, the case remains unresolved, raising serious questions about investigative effectiveness in long-pending missing persons cases.
