Jharkhand HC Raps Bokaro Police Over Missing Girl Case, Warns of CBI Probe

Ranchi (IANS): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday slammed the Bokaro police for their “lackadaisical” handling of a 2020 missing minor girl case. The court warned that it will hand the investigation over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if the state fails to show progress.

Hearing a petition regarding the disappearance of a 14-year-old girl, a division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad questioned why Bokaro police repeatedly fail to solve cases involving missing women and girls. The bench specifically criticized the performance of the current and former Bokaro Superintendents of Police, as well as the relevant DSP.

The court noted that while police suspect abduction, they have failed to conduct a proper investigation into that lead. Labeling the current probe “unsatisfactory,” the bench ordered the CID to submit a progress report within three weeks.

The judges issued a stern ultimatum: If the CID investigation does not show visible improvement, the court may transfer the case to a joint team of state agencies and the CBI.

The bench highlighted several investigative failures:

• Police failed to trace the girl despite filing an FIR five years ago in 2020.

• Authorities let one of three suspects skip a scheduled narco test by citing poor health.

• After years of zero progress, the police hurriedly transferred the case to the CID in April 2026—a move the court remarked appeared to be a “cover-up” for local lapses.

The petitioner’s counsel, Vincent Rohit Markey, informed the court that the minor remains untraceable. Although police originally detained four suspects in connection with the Pindrajora police station case (No. 161/20), they later released them.

The girl’s mother moved the High Court after losing faith in the local authorities. The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 8, when it will also take up a separate petition regarding another 18-year-old girl missing from Bokaro.