Over 2 years on, no clue to missing minor Dhakoli girl

Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, October 20

A 40-year-old migrant labourer is still in the dark about the fate of his eleven-year-old daughter who went missing around two years ago. He has no idea if she is dead or still alive. The child reportedly went missing from Dhakoli in August, 2017.

Her parents - father Morpal and mother Sarita - have been running from pillar to post for the past two years and have left no stone unturned to find their missing daughter, but to no avail.

The family now fears that their daughter might have been coaxed into human trafficking or she might have been forced into begging. They alleged that the police were deliberately going slow in tracing their daughter.

With all options exhausted, the victim’s father and her relatives had also knocked at the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. They filed a petition in 2017 through advocate KPS Virk wherein they had sought the investigation of the case to be handed over to some senior police officials or some special investigation team since it involves the abduction of their minor girl child.

The parents stated that they had approached all top functionaries of the administration, but no action had been initiated till date to trace their girl.

As per the plea before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the minor girl went to get her mother’s salary in Gulmohar Trade Society on August 8, 2017, where Sarita worked as a domestic help. Since then, she had been missing.

The petitioner tried his best to search for his daughter, but to no avail. Later, he got an FIR registered under Sections 363 and 366-A of the Indian Penal Code at Dhakoli police station on August 10, 2017 in this regard.

After entertaining the petition, the High Court had directed the police authorities to furnish a fresh status report of the case before the court.

Sources said the police claimed they had made various attempts to trace the child. They said they even contacted their counterparts in Haryana to obtain any information about the child.

Sumit Mor, in-charge at the Dhakoli police station, said the police were trying their best to trace the missing girl. They had already interrogated a few suspects on whom the family members of the missing child had raised suspicion, but nothing substantial came out of it.

Advocate KPS Virk said the case had been listed for further consideration in January next year.