Thane auto driver’s minor daughter goes missing, police pin blame on poor parenting

Thane police accused of callousness in missing girl case as father faces humiliation. Father takes matters into own hands to find clues.

THANE: A case of callousness on the part of police has come to light in Thane, where a distraught father - an auto driver - whose 15-year-old daughter has been missing for the last 21 days, has been making daily rounds of the Vartak Nagar police station but ending up being humiliated at the hands of the police personnel.

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Despite a kidnapping case having been registered, efforts to locate the girl have been unsuccessful so far, and instead of stepping up their efforts to trace her, the police have been blaming the parents for failing to keep their daughter “under control”.

On June 6, a case was registered at the Vartak Nagar police station, under section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code, after the parents reported to the police that their 15-year-old daughter went to her friend’s place on June 5 and did not return home.

They told the police that they searched for her everywhere and contacted all her friends but could not find her. They also told them that one of their daughter’s neighborhood friends had told them that a boy from Igatpuri had taken their daughter away.

After giving all the details and filing a complaint, the father visited the police station daily for updates on the case but returned crestfallen, as instead of being supportive, the police personnel resorted to humiliating him, even going to the extent of blaming his poor parenting for the girl’s disappearance.

“They shouted at me and blamed me for not teaching good morals to my child. I became so depressed that I lost all appetite for food,” the father said.

Meanwhile, seeing the lukewarm response of the Vartak Nagar police, the father took matters into his own hands and went through his daughter’s phone to find clues about a 20-year-old boy from Igatpuri, who is suspected of having taken his daughter away.

“On unlocking her phone, I was shocked to find video clips of her taking bath and voice notes from a neighbourhood girl to the boy, telling him that she had intentionally recorded the video for him. This is very serious as someone could be blackmailing my daughter. Yet, police are not taking the case seriously. Thankfully, a social worker, Melwyn Fernandez, helped me with a lawyer who went with us to speak to senior officers,” the father said.

The family has complained to the Thane police commissioner about the senior inspector and other police personnel of the Vartak Nagar police station.

Acknowledging this, a senior officer from the police commissioner’s office said, “The additional police commissioner has asked the ACP of the zone to look into the case on a priority basis.”

Advocate Sunita Banis, who helped the complainant, said that the auto driver himself found out the boy’s address in Igatpuri and gave it to the police, who went there but could not find either the boy or the girl and so stopped the investigation.

“Hence, a complaint was filed against the Vartak Nagar police station, and the ACP of Kapurbavdi is now looking into the case. When I learned about this case, I met the investigating officer who seemed uninterested. I provided more evidence against the suspects, but it had no impact. When I approached the senior police inspector, he insulted the victim’s father,” advocate Banis said.

As for the father, he now hopes that with the additional police commissioner’s intervention, investigation into his missing daughter’s case will pick up pace and he will be able bring her back home soon.

“She is my elder daughter and I had great hopes for her. I had planned to get her admitted to the commerce stream after her 10th exam ,” he said.