The New Indian Express ·
Andhra Pradesh HC raps DGP Harish Kumar Gupta for ‘tardy’ probe into missing case
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday came down heavily on Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta for the ‘poor handling’ of the case involving the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl from Guntur.
A division bench comprising Justice Battu Devanand and Justice Gedela Tuhin Kumar, questioned the DGP’s decision to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT), observing that it appeared to be merely an eyewash. The court remarked that whenever SIT was constituted in a case, it often meant that the case was being pushed into “cold storage”. The bench rapped the police for their failure to trace the girl and produce her before court as directed earlier.
The court also objected to the inclusion of Guntur and Pattabhipuram police personnel in SIT, which was headed by Guntur SP (Crimes) K Supraja. It observed that Pattabhipuram police had registered the missing case nearly three months ago but had failed to trace the girl. The bench questioned how officers who had failed to locate the missing girl could be made part of the fresh investigation team.
