The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday expressed sharp “annoyance” over the sluggish investigation into the disappearance of an 18-year-old girl, summoning the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) and other top officials. The court’s intervention follows the discovery of a female skeleton in a Bokaro forest, which the victim’s family claims is not their daughter, and a startling lack of forensic progress by local authorities.
A bench comprising Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Sanjay Prasad has directed the DGP, the Bokaro Superintendent of Police (SP), the Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and members of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to appear in person on April 16.
The court’s decision came after it was revealed that despite the recovery of a female skeleton in a jungle area, the police had failed to conduct basic DNA profiling to confirm its identity.
The case pertains to the disappearance of the 18-year-old daughter of Rekha Devi. The girl went missing on July 31, 2025. Although an FIR was promptly registered at the Pindrajoda Police Station, the petitioner alleged that no significant action was taken to trace her daughter for months.
It was only after Rekha Devi approached the High Court with a writ petition that the police “swung into action,” eventually leading to the arrest of one Dinesh Mahto and the discovery of the remains in the forest.
During the proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the skeleton recovered by the Bokaro police does not belong to the missing girl. This prompted the bench to question the government on whether DNA testing had been performed to compare the remains with the biological parents.
The court expressed serious displeasure upon learning that no samples had been taken despite the skeleton being in police custody for several days.
“Had the sample been collected earlier, the result could have been determined within a couple of hours, but for no reason, the whole process is being delayed,” the bench observed.
The investigation has already seen significant administrative repercussions. The Bokaro SP has suspended 18 police constables, including the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Pindrajoda Police Station, citing gross negligence in the performance of their duties regarding this case.
The High Court has now demanded a direct explanation from the state’s highest police leadership regarding the lapses in the SIT’s functioning and the forensic delays that have stalled the identification process.
