A DDA official went missing a month ago. His family alleges cops are involved

Shiv Kumar’s family has printed another 1,000 posters, in addition to the 4,000 already pasted at various locations across Delhi, in the hope that these will lead them to their son – who went missing over a month ago after he was briefly detained at the Model Town police station over a woman’s complaint alleging harassment.

The family of the 30-year-old, who is a junior secretariat assistant at the DDA, now suspects the role of the local police. While Model Town police had initially denied any information on Shiv, one of his friends allegedly spotted an entry about Shiv's detention in a police register. CCTV footage later shared with the family revealed that Shiv had walked out of the police station around 4 am on November 9 – the last time he was seen in public.

Alleging a delay of nine days in lodging a missing persons FIR, Shiv’s father Ravendra Kumar, a 61-year-old retired UP police official, and his brother Pawan filed several applications to the Delhi Police seeking a probe. Unsatisfied with the official response, spooked by prank calls asking for huge amounts for information about their son, and fatigued by their daily runs to random railway stations, bus stops and night shelters to look for Shiv, the family has now filed a habeas corpus plea at the Delhi High Court seeking a CBI probe.

While the court will hear the matter on January 16 next year, the case has now been transferred to the crime branch even when the local police claim to have “left no stone unturned” in the investigation.

“When the family has raised concerns about the conduct of police, how could the same set of people carry on with investigation in this case…not informing Shiv’s family at any point of time amounts to a lapse on part of the police,” said Heenu Mahajan, the lawyer representing Shiv’s family.

Ravendra and Pawan had come to Delhi from UP on November 10 to file a missing persons complaint after Shiv’s friends failed to trace him at his two-room apartment, which they found unlocked in north west Delhi’s Guru Teg Bahadur area. 

On November 12, Ravendra wrote to the offices of Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora and North West DCP Usha Rangrani, claiming the family was “misled by the police”. An abduction case was subsequently filed on November 18 but mentioned neither any suspect nor any delay in the columns pertaining to the same. 

The DDA had written to the Model Town police station on November 17, requesting that the matter be urgently looked into.

Unanswered questions

The probe has left several questions unanswered, such as the role of Shiv’s friends who informed the family about his room being left open,  the lack of Shiv’s statement to the police after the complaint in which he was detained, the three other persons who were detained along with him at the police station that night, and the absence of any action against the police personnel who were seen in CCTV footage with Shiv on November 9.

Police had picked up Shiv, along with three other people, after receiving a call at 1.51 am from Sonia, a local resident who alleged that a “man is misbehaving with a woman at the park”. But they noted that the complainant “doesn’t want to record a statement or follow the case legally”.

However, speaking to Newslaundry, Sonia said “there was no such incident” involving Shiv misbehaving with a woman but “he had tried to punch at the air conditioner outside my house”.

According to several local residents in the neighbourhood, Shiv’s behaviour was abrupt on the night of November 9. They said that he created a ruckus in the locality “with a knife” that night while knocking on doors, and the police also say that CCTV footage shows him carrying a sharp weapon. His family, however, denies that he was any mental health issues.

On November 23, Ravendra again wrote to the Model Town police SHO, North West Delhi DCP, Delhi Police commissioner and the National Human Rights Commission, seeking a probe either by the CBI or Delhi police crime branch or anti-human trafficking unit. “Despite not being involved in any cognisable offence, my son was kept in custody with the police choosing not to inform the family members…I fear that my son who was taken into custody illegally has been killed after being kidnapped.”

The family also claims Shiv’s two mobile phones are still in police custody to hide evidence.

On November 29, Shiv’s father wrote once again to the Delhi Police Commissioner, North West DCP, and the NHRC, requesting that sections pertaining to destruction of evidence be added to the FIR.

Police response

However, a senior police officer from the Model Town police station, who spoke to Newslaundry on the condition of anonymity, said, “An FIR is filed in cases related to a missing person only for those below the age of 18 or in cases where the family of an adult apprehends a motive behind alleged abduction, hence there was no delay.” 

On being asked as to why the morning staff at the police station didn’t tell the family about Shiv being detained past midnight, he said, “He (Shiv) has been detained based on a complaint from a woman at night. While he was in our custody, he didn’t tell us his address. Staff on night duty was different from the ones who were deployed on duty the next morning.” 

Police prepared a 52-page dossier based on CCTV footage of the locality. 

About Shiv’s last traceable location, the officer said, “After he was detained and brought here, we have screenshots of footage between 2 am and about 4.19 am in which he can be seen going out of the police station and roaming around...we have left no stone unturned as part of the investigation. Our men have visited several trauma centres of government hospitals, guest houses, mortuaries, railway stations and bus stops but there was no clue about him.” 

A status report dated December 2, submitted at the Delhi High Court by Model Town police SHO Lalit Kumar, states, “During further inquiry, CDR of the mobile numbers of Shiv Yadav have been obtained and analysed but nothing has been found suspicious to them. Bank account statements have been obtained and analysed in detail but no clue has been found yet.”

On any possible leads from Shiv’s social media accounts, the report states, “On November 19, mail was sent to Google, Instagram and Facebook regarding last login details of Shiv Yadav. Reply from Google and Instagram were received but no clue has been found and reply from Facebook is awaited.” 

According to IO Arun Kumar, who had been handling this case, “We acted based on a complaint and then let him go. He was last seen crossing the road and going to the opposite side of the police station. After that, where did he go, we don’t know.” 

North West DCP Usha Rangnani could not be reached for comment.

After so many letters and legal steps, the family, meanwhile, has been trying to raise the issue in the media too, but have failed to get any coverage so far. “We tried contacting some channels and local YouTubers as well but nobody showed any interest,” Pawan told Newslaundry.

On Wednesday, as Shiv’s father and brother sat on a protest outside Model Town police station, they were removed forcefully from the spot. “Please find my brother, how can he go missing from a police station,” Pawan said, bursting into tears with folded hands, as men in Khaki ushered him into a vehicle.