KASARGOD: The Kerala High Court has lashed out at the police over the incident where a 15-year-old girl, who had gone missing 26 days ago in Paivalike, was found dead near her house. The division bench was considering the habeas corpus petition filed by the girl's mother. The court sought an explanation from the police regarding the incident.
"Although weeks have passed since the girl went missing, what has the police been investigating? Would the police have acted this way if it was the daughter of a VIP who went missing?" the court asked. The court also clarified that VIPs and ordinary citizens are equal before the law. The High Court directed the investigating officials to appear with the case diary tomorrow and provide an explanation.
The 15-year-old girl, along with the autorickshaw driver Pradeep Kumar (42) from Koodamelkkala in Paivalike, who went missing on the same day, was found dead near her house yesterday. The bodies were found hanging from a tree. There are indications that the two were close. Pradeep Kumar, an unmarried woman, had a close relationship with the girl's family. The preliminary post mortem report suggests that the deaths were suicides. The post-mortem was conducted at Kannur Medical College. The bodies were found in a decomposed state, and the police have sent the remains to a forensic lab for further examination. DNA testing procedures have also been initiated by the police.