Improve cells to trace missing persons: HC

Although separate cells have been set up in police stations to trace missing persons and absconding accused, there is still no consistency in the cells across the state.

Although separate cells have been set up in police stations to trace missing persons and absconding accused, there is still no consistency in the cells across the state.

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Asking the Maharashtra government to improvise its circulars directing setting up of the special cells, the Bombay high court on Monday observed that there should be consistency in ratio with regard to strength in every police station and those assigned to the special cell.

A division bench of justice AM Khanwilkar and justice AR Joshi was hearing a petition filed by Jitendra Singh whose 12-year-old mentally challenged son went missing from Pune station in November 2010.

The court has transferred the probe to trace Ashish Singh to the Crime Investigation Department after his father, Jitendra, a junior engineer with the railways, filed a petition alleging that the police failed to trace his son.

The government had issued two circulars on November 3, 2010, and December 22, 2010, announcing setting up of a special team comprising one assistant sub-inspector and two constables to trace missing and absconding persons.

Khanwilkar said, “How can just three persons be assigned to this cell? Out of the total strength in a police station, half must be assigned to law and order and the other half to investigation. From the investigation team, half police officials should be assigned to this special cell… the home department should come up with some policy to tackle this.”