With the police having made no breakthrough in the disappearance of Kumar Ajitabh, a software engineer, his family has demanded a CBI probe.
Ajitabh and his car have not been seen since December 2017.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Ajitabh’s brother Kumar Arnab and sister Pragya Sinha said they had no hope from the investigations carried out by the local police, SIT or even the CID.
“The police claim that they used drones to search for my brother and his car. All this is just to show that they are doing something about the case, but no one is serious about it,” the family alleged.
Investigating officials are said to have conveyed to the family that the probe has hit a dead end, and that they will continue only after they receive information from Google, Facebook and WhatsApp about what transpired between Ajitabh and the prospective buyer of his car.
Ajitabh had reached Gunjur by following the route on Google Maps. His phone and the prospective buyer’s phone were active until around 7.10 p.m., after which both the numbers were switched off.
The family explored the option of requesting information from Google, Facebook and WhatsApp through diplomatic channels by contacting the Union Home Ministry, but learnt that the laws are governed by Mutal Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and it will take some time for the information to come. “What is the use of having such treaties if they can’t be used to save a life?” said Ms. Pragya.
Ajitabh went missing on December 18, 2017. A missing complaint was lodged on December 20, but the charge of abduction was added later on December 29.
“The police should have swung into action during the crucial time immediately after he went missing, but since they treated the complaint as a missing case, nothing much happened during the first week of his disappearance,” the family said.