Srinagar: Police have not been able to trace of the 25-day-old female baby allegedly snatched away from her mother by her in-laws.
The baby was supposed to be handed over to her mother by 4.30 pm today in the High Court.
“No clue with regard to her place of confinement could be got,” a report submitted by police before the court said.
Additional Advocate General of J&K, B A Dar, stated “the child could not be recovered as yet despite search operations by the police”.
Mahrukh Iqbal, the mother of the baby in a petition in the J&K High Court has stated that her female child had been snatched away by her in-laws. She stated that she was undergoing a psychological trauma due to separation her from her child.
Superintendent of Police (SP), East Zone, Srinagar, has been directed by the Police department to execute the court orders calling for recovery of the child.
The report said that police raided different suspected locations, including the house of the grandfather of the infant.
It said that searches and raids were conducted in presence of Executive Magistrate, 1st Class, Khanyar, Srinagar, Showkat Ahmad Rather.
“The police team raided the house of one Muzamil Ahmad Sheikh, suspecting that the infant might have been hidden there. But the child was not found and no clue with regard to her place of confinement could be got,” read the report.
It is further revealed the petitioner Mahrukh’s husband, and Rabia Shah, the grandmother of the infant have gone into hiding with the infant baby, thereby obstructing the lawful implementation of the orders of the court.
“Obviously, the conduct of the private respondents is only aggravating the excesses allegedly committed by them vis-à-vis the child and the petitioner,” observed the court.
“It lends support to what the petitioner has averred in the petition about the treatment meted out to her and her child by private respondents, (the in-laws of Mahrukh),” Justice A M Magray, who heard the matter said adding their conduct axiomatically has been instrumental in prolonging the suffering of the child and agony of the petitioner.
“The court is not powerless. The conduct of the private respondents is also likely to bring others into the dragnet of abetment of the crime,” he warned.
Justice Magray directed the police to “accelerate their efforts to search for and recover the baby in tune with the spirit of the anxiety of the court expressed in the directions passed by this court.”
Tanushree, the SP, East Zone, heading the operations was present in the court and her efforts in the matter were appreciated by the judge.
He said if required, she shall be free to approach the Director General of Police for making available electronic and technical help in tracing out the location of the child and the petitioner’s hiding in-laws.
Mahrukh, the petitioner was also present in the court. She reiterated “the female baby was snatched from me only to kill her.”
The court directed the police to take appropriate measures for the safety of the lady “lest any harm should be caused to her”.
