Court seeks data of missing persons from city, neighbouring areas

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought the data of people who have gone missing from Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts in the last five years.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought the data of people who have gone missing from Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts in the last five years.

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The fact that the police have failed to trace 933 people, who have gone missing from the Mira-Bhayander area since 2005, prompted the court to seek the details.

“If this is the situation in the adjoining area, the situation must be alarming within the city,” observed the bench of justice AM Khanwilkar and justice PD Kode while directing additional public prosecutor FR Shaikh to furnish the data.

The court told the police to furnish details until November 15 on how many persons have gone missing from the three districts in the last five years and how many of them have been traced. The bench was alarmed after petitioner Chanderkant Pateliya said that the Mira Road police had failed to trace 438 missing persons, including his 22-year-old son, between 2005 and September 2010.

While 200 missing people have not been traced by the Kashimira police during the same period, the Bhayander police have not been able to find 95 missing people. Bhavesh Parmar, appointed by the court to represent Pateliya, submitted the replies received by his client to his Right to Information queries.

Pateliya had sought orders to police to locate his son, who is suspected to be outside India.

The court had brought in the Central Bureau of Investigation to find Brijesh after it was found that his email account was being operated. He is yet to be traced.