Missing girl found dead: HC slams cops

Kochi: An HC bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and MB Snehalatha on Monday strongly criticized police for their inaction in tracing a 15-year-old girl who had gone missing from Paivalike in Kasaragod and was later found hanging from a tree alongside a 42-year-old man on Sunday.
The court directed the investigating officer to appear before it with the case diary on Tuesday. The girl's mother had approached HC with a habeas corpus petition after she went missing on Feb 12. During an earlier hearing, the bench sought instructions from the police and issued notices to the respondents, including the man who was later found dead along with the girl.
On Monday, police informed HC about the recovery of their bodies. The court, terming the incident ‘shocking,' expressed deep concern and questioned if police would have handled the case in the same manner had the girl been a VIP's daughter. The court said it would not close the plea and insisted on uncovering the truth behind the incident. tnn