ASI suspended over ‘failure to trace abducted’ minor girl in Odisha’s Bhadrak

An Odisha Police ASI in Bhadrak was suspended on Tuesday for alleged dereliction of duty in a high-profile minor girl abduction case that drew the intervention of the Orissa High Court.

Reports stated that Bhadrak SP Manoj Raut ordered the suspension of Dhamnagar police station ASI Nepal Saha after the investigating officer failed to trace the victim and the accused for nearly two months.

Case Dates Back to June 17 

According to police records, the incident occurred on June 17 when 22-year-old Rajesh Jena of Talapada village, along with two accomplices, allegedly abducted a schoolgirl from Kankara village under Dhamnagar police limits. 

The girl’s mother lodged an FIR the same day, prompting the station in-charge to assign ASI Saha as the investigating officer.

Despite the complaint, the victim and the main accused remained untraced for 55 days. It was only on August 11 that a special squad of Dhamnagar police managed to rescue the girl from a rented house in Keonjhar district during a late-night operation.

By then, the victim’s family had approached the Orissa High Court over the prolonged inaction.

Court Summons Officers Personally

The High Court, taking cognisance of the delay, directed both the Dhamnagar IIC and the investigating officer to appear in person before it on August 11. Sources said the Court also sought an explanation for the delay in recovery and the investigation’s progress.

Taking note of this matter, SP Manoj Raut handed the ASI a suspension order citing negligence in tracing the victim.

Victim Under Protective Care

Meanwhile, after a medical examination on Tuesday, the rescued minor has been kept at a shelter home in Bhadrak for care and counselling. Police are now preparing to file additional charges against the accused, and further interrogation is underway to determine the involvement of others.