The Delhi High Court criticized Delhi Police for a six-month delay in filing a kidnapping FIR in a missing boy’s case from January 2024. Despite the mother’s report, the FIR was lodged only in June. The case highlights issues with police response times, cooperation challenges with social media platforms, and the importance of immediate action in missing person investigations.
New Delhi: Delhi Police’s delay in filing a First Information Report (FIR) in a missing person’s case has sparked concerns about efficiency and protocols in handling urgent cases. The Delhi High Court is examining the case, where a young boy went missing from the Bhajanpura area on January 10, 2024. His mother promptly reported his disappearance, yet the FIR under Section 365 of the IPC was registered only on June 29, 2024.
Read Also: [BREAKING] Wikipedia Willing to Unveil User Identity to Court in Defamation Case
A division bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma is hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by the mother, represented by Advocate Fozia Rahman. The Court’s review was prompted by a status report from Delhi Police, highlighting the extended delay in filing the FIR. Initially, the police registered a missing report, but six months passed before the case was formally registered as a kidnapping under the Indian Penal Code.
Delhi Police have submitted three status reports since May 2024, with developments shared in September. Investigators discovered that the boy was potentially active on Instagram, using the account handle “shabanashabana8032.” This discovery led police to request information from Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., seeking details such as IP address, phone number, and device IMEI. However, Meta had not responded to this request by the time of the hearing.
Read Also: ‘A Fair Investigation is the Pillar of Justice’: Madras HC’s Stand on Money Laundering
During a recent hearing, the Ministry of Home Affairs also expressed interest in contributing insights on collaboration challenges with social media platforms, citing this case as a pressing example. This prolonged process, from delayed FIR filing to hurdles in gathering digital evidence, has raised questions about law enforcement protocols in handling missing persons cases.
The High Court had previously emphasized in a July 2024 ruling that the first 24 hours are critical in missing person investigations, underscoring the need for swift police action. This case continues to highlight the importance of timely FIRs, effective investigation methods, and robust collaboration between law enforcement and tech companies in high-stakes missing person cases.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE