Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Aug 10: A murder case has been registered in connection with the recovery of the body of 16-year-old Meenakshi Kumari Pandey from the Swarnarekha River near Ramnagar Road No. 1 in the Ulidih police station area on August 8. Meenakshi, a Class 10 student of Kashidih High School, had left home for school at 8:00 a.m. on August 7 but never returned.
Her father, Santosh Kumar Pandey, lodged a named FIR at Golmuri police station against two youths — Adarsh, a resident of Cable Town, and Vicky, who lives near Sitaramdera Shiva temple, accusing them of murdering his daughter and disposing her body in the river.
According to Santosh Pandey, a girl’s body was spotted in the river on August 8 but remained unidentified until the evening of August 9, when the family confirmed it was Meenakshi. He further alleged that his daughter’s school bag and mobile phone were still missing.
The father accused the police of negligence, claiming that despite providing prompt information about his daughter’s disappearance, no immediate action was taken. “Had the police acted swiftly, this tragedy might have been prevented,” he said.
Police have registered a case under sections related to murder and destruction of evidence. Raids were underway to arrest the named accused. Officials assured that the culprits would be nabbed soon and the case would be fully uncovered.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem of the body was conducted on Sunday, and the remains were handed over to the family for last rites. The incident caused deep shock and anger in the community, with locals demanding swift justice for Meenakshi and strict punishment for the perpetrators.
