Barely 48 hours after it was put on the job by the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police traced a minor girl to Kolkata and arrested a man accused of kidnapping her.
The speed with which the Delhi Police acted on the case came out in direct contrast to the Uttar Pradesh Police’s inability to trace the girl, who is from Gorakhpur, for two months.
“This is certainly a reflection of the U.P. Police,” a Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar remarked orally.
Exasperated by the U.P. police’s attitude, the court, which was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the 13-year-old’s mother, had turned to the Delhi Police on September 1. In fact, the last straw for the court was when the U.P. police asked for another two weeks to crack the case.
The court said the U.P. police seemed to have not realised the urgency and seriousness of the case.
In the last hearing, the court asked the Delhi Police Commissioner “to ensure that prompt further investigation, as may be necessary, is directed in tracing out the missing girl and report compliance at the earliest”.
On Friday, the Delhi Police counsel said the girl would be handed over to the mother, represented by advocate Amit Pai, on Saturday. It said the relevant evidence, including medical, have been placed on record.
The girl had last been seen by her younger sister on the morning of July 8 before she had gone missing.
The court scheduled another hearing on September 7.
