Police have completed the investigation into the disappearance of 18-month-old Meena in Gorakhnath area of Gorakhpur. The case, which was registered on suspicion of the child’s abduction, has now been closed. The police investigation and post-mortem report found that Meena died after drowning in a drain. Police found no evidence linking the child’s disappearance to an abduction. Gorakhnath police have subsequently filed a final report (FR) in the case.
The incident took place near DR Chemical Chauraha, where Ramlakhan lived with his family in a hut. His 18-month-old daughter Meena suddenly went missing at around 8 am on Saturday. The family searched extensively in the surrounding area but could not find her. After the child remained untraceable for some time, the family feared that something had happened to her. Her father subsequently lodged a case at Gorakhnath police station, alleging the possibility of her abduction.
Given that the case involved the sudden disappearance of a young child, police began an extensive search operation. Four police teams were deployed to locate Meena. Along with searching the surrounding area, police examined locations where the child could potentially have gone. CCTV footage from cameras installed nearby was also examined to determine whether Meena had moved away from the area around the hut or had been taken away by someone.
The CCTV footage did not provide any information indicating that Meena had left the area around her hut. Police then intensified searches in and around the family’s residence. Nearby drains and other possible locations were also examined, with the assistance of a municipal corporation team. During the search, a drain located near the hut was examined, and Meena’s body was subsequently recovered from it.
According to police, the child’s body was found in the drain near her hut approximately four hours after she went missing. The discovery left the family devastated. The child whom the family and police had been searching for on suspicion of abduction was found in a drain located very close to her home. Initially, it was not clear how she had reached the drain or the circumstances in which she had died. Police therefore continued the investigation and arranged for a post-mortem examination.
During the investigation, it emerged that before the incident, Meena’s uncle Arun Kumar had given her a ball to play with. While she was playing, the ball went into the drain. The family suspected that the child may have gone towards the drain to retrieve the ball and fallen through an open section. Family members did not notice her at the time, and she subsequently drowned. The police investigation also confirmed this sequence of events.
The post-mortem report was also significant to the investigation. It confirmed that the child died due to drowning. After the post-mortem and police investigation found no evidence of abduction, police filed a final report in the abduction case. Station House Officer Vijay Kumar Singh said the suspicion of abduction was not substantiated during the investigation and that the investigation confirmed the child had died in an accident.
At the beginning of the incident, the family searched the surrounding area after Meena suddenly disappeared in the morning. When she could not be located for an extended period, police were informed. Considering the child’s young age, police immediately began a search operation, examining nearby huts, routes and other possible locations. CCTV footage was also reviewed to determine whether Meena had left the area or had been taken away by someone.
The CCTV examination did not show the child leaving the area around the hut. Police consequently focused on nearby locations where she could have fallen or become trapped. The drain was examined as part of this search. With assistance from the municipal corporation team, police searched the drain and eventually recovered the child’s body from it. The discovery shifted the investigation from the initial suspicion of abduction towards an accidental death.
The condition of the drain also became part of the discussion surrounding the incident. According to a report that emerged after the incident, the family said that a gap had remained between the slabs placed over the drain after it was cleaned. The family suspected that the child may have fallen into the drain through this open section while playing. However, different claims emerged locally regarding responsibility for the drain. One report said the municipal corporation identified it as a Public Works Department (PWD) National Highway drain, while PWD officials were reported to have said that it was not under their jurisdiction.
After the child’s body was recovered, police examined the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, including who was present in the area at the time and how she could have reached the drain. The absence of evidence in CCTV footage showing her leaving the area, along with the recovery of her body from the nearby drain, reduced the basis for the abduction suspicion. The post-mortem report confirmed drowning as the cause of death.
On the basis of these findings, police concluded that no further investigation into the abduction case was required and filed a final report. According to police, Meena may have gone to retrieve the ball that had fallen into the drain while she was playing and then fallen through the open section, resulting in her drowning.
The case involving the death of 18-month-old Meena will therefore not proceed as an abduction case. The suspicion with which the family approached police was not supported by the investigation. After approximately four hours of searching, the child’s body was found in the drain near her home, and the post-mortem examination confirmed drowning as the cause of death. Police have filed a final report in the case, concluding the investigation on the basis that the child died in an accident rather than as a result of a criminal act.
