Ranchi, April 15: The Jharkhand High Court has taken a stern stance in the case of an 18-year-old girl from Bokaro district who has been missing for nine months. The court reprimanded the state government and police administration for the sluggish pace of the investigation and the failure to conduct a DNA test on the recovered skeletal remains.
Considering the seriousness of the case, the High Court ordered the state’s Director General of Police (DGP), the Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), the Bokaro Superintendent of Police (SP), and the entire Special Investigation Team (SIT) to appear in person before the court at 10:30 AM on Thursday.
During the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by the missing girl’s mother, the petitioner’s lawyer, Vincent Rohit Marki, raised serious questions about the police’s claims. He informed the court that the police had recovered a skeleton based on the identification of a suspect, claiming it belonged to the missing girl. However, he argued that the condition of the skeleton suggested it was 2 to 3 years old, while the girl had been missing for about nine months. The petitioner also noted that the location from which the skeleton was found could potentially belong to someone else.
The court expressed its frustration when it was revealed that no DNA testing had been conducted on the recovered skeleton, nor had samples been taken from the deceased girl’s mother. The court deemed this negligence a significant lapse in the investigation.
It is important to note that this case is linked to a kidnapping complaint filed in August 2025. After months of police inaction, the victim’s mother approached the High Court, prompting the police to take action. The police arrested a young man named Dinesh Kumar Mahto, who allegedly confessed to killing the girl on July 21, 2025, due to pressure to marry her. Following his lead, the police had recently recovered a skeleton.
However, the ongoing controversy surrounding the identification of the remains and the delay in DNA testing has cast doubt on the entire investigation.
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