The Delhi Police are facing criticism for their handling of a missing person’s case, which saw a significant delay in filing a kidnapping FIR.
A status report submitted in a habeas corpus petition before the Delhi High Court reveals that it took 6 months to register the FIR after the initial report.
The case concerns a boy who disappeared on January 10, 2024, in the Bhajanpura area of Delhi. Despite his mother’s repeated efforts to report the matter, including filing a missing report, the FIR under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code was only lodged on June 29, 2024. A division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma is currently reviewing the habeas corpus petition linked to this case.
In a status report filed on Monday, the Delhi Police stated that they had made extensive efforts to locate the boy, but after finding no leads, the FIR was finally registered. Initially, the case was assigned to Head Constable Sonu for investigation, but was later transferred to Sub-Inspector Kunal on July 3, 2024.
Following the delay, the boy’s mother filed a habeas corpus petition, represented by Advocate Fozia Rahman. Since May 2024, the police have submitted three status reports. In September, they informed the court that they had received information indicating the boy was active on Instagram. As a result, requests were made to several social media platforms for assistance.
During the latest hearing, the court noted that some platforms had begun to respond. On September 19, the High Court acknowledged ongoing investigations and mentioned that leads had been generated. One key lead identified that on September 6, 2024, the missing boy was using an Instagram account under the user ID *shabanashabana8032*. A notice under Section 91 of the CrPC was issued to Instagram and Meta Platforms Inc. for information related to this account, including the phone number, IP address, and IMEI number of the device used. However, no response had yet been received from Meta.
On September 20, a counsel for Meta indicated that information was uploaded on a platform designed for communication with law enforcement agencies. Standing Counsel Sanjay Lao confirmed that this information had been received.
By October 8, the Deputy Commissioner of Police submitted a status report, which has been shared with the relevant counsel. The High Court directed the platforms to respond to this report in their affidavits. Additionally, a Nodal Officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs expressed a desire to present issues faced when liaising with these platforms, along with suggestions for improvement.
This case raises significant concerns regarding the efficiency of Delhi Police in missing person cases, particularly the long delay in filing the FIR and the difficulties in obtaining timely information from social media companies.
The Delhi High Court previously highlighted that the first 24 hours are crucial for locating missing persons, emphasizing the need for improved protocols and collaboration between law enforcement and technology firms.
