City police delay filing FIR in missing girl case

The Gurgaon police’s claims of proactive policing in the cases of missing children sound hollow.

The Gurgaon police’s claims of proactive policing in the cases of missing children sound hollow.

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A 14-year-old girl went missing from a senior secondary school in Palam Vihar on Wednesday morning. The police lodged FIR after five days on Sunday only after pressure from local activists.

“The police did not lodge FIR saying we did not have the right sized photograph of my missing daughter,” said victim’s father, Hiblal Chaudhary.

“My daughter was accompanied to school by my eldest son at 7.30am. The teachers at the school stated that my daughter was not in class; however, her bag was there, at 9.40 am. I searched for her along with my eldest son till noon, but on not finding her, I went to the police,” said Chaudhary.

Chaudhary stated that his neighbour, Bablu Sahni (21), native of Nanhyal, Bihar, used to visit his house frequently and he has also been missing since May 1.

Chaudhary alleged that Sahni might have taken his daughter with him on the pretext of marriage.

“Bablu had called up his friend Feroz, a local television dealer and told him that my daughter was with him and that he should stay away from the police,” said Chaudhary.

Chaudhary added, “I gave a four by six sized photo to the police for identification but they rejected it saying they want a nine by twelve one. The said that FIR will not be lodged until I get the right sized photograph. I went to a social activist for help.”

“Cops threatened Hiblal indirectly that he has to pay a large sum of money if they needed to investigate in Bihar for finding his daughter. On hearing his plight, I called up the police and made sure they file an FIR. An FIR was filed within half an hour of my call,” said Lokesh Chandar, a social activist.