Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Mar 1: Geeta Kumari (26), daughter of Hukrappa Gowda, a resident of Kadambalike, Eshwaramangala in the taluk, had suddenly gone missing from her home 18 months back. Geeta, an unmarried girl, who helped her family to eke out a living by rolling bidis, went missing late night on a fateful day. She remains untraced, in spite of the efforts put in by her family, friends and the policemen.

Several theories initially did the rounds about the cause of her mysterious disappearance without a trace. A complaint had been filed by her father with the policemen of rural police station. As there was no progress in the police investigation, Hukrappa Gowda had filed a habeas corpus petition in the state High Court, praying for directions to the police department to find the whereabouts of his missing daughter, after about two months since Geeta’s disappearance. Taking cognizance of the petition, the High Court had served notices on the police officers at the district and taluk levels, instructing them to find Geeta’s whereabouts and to produce her at the court.

The police department on its part had formed three teams to search for Geeta. These teams jumped into the task, and conducted search operations at various places, covering a few cities and towns including Mysore and Bangalore, and in Kerala. The efforts put by these teams proved futile. The policemen had also summoned a few suspected persons, but failed to achieve any progress in the investigation.

The women’s organizations too joined the action and urged the policemen to find Geeta out. The then taluk panchayat president, Savitri Shivaram, had led a delegation of women’s movement leaders to the assistant superintendent of police to put pressure on the concerned. Representations were also made to the local MLA, home minister and the Chief Minister, about the surprising disappearance of Geeta Kumari without any clues, and seeking use of their good offices in ensuring her safe return.

None of these efforts have succeeded in solving the mystery behind Geeta’s disappearance. At the same time, the policemen have not been able to send a final report to the High Court, and have kept the case ‘under investigation’. With the number of cases being handled by the police increasing by the day, frequent transfer of policemen, and with the passage of time, the hopes of finding the girl appear to be dim. What baffles the people of the region is that there were no reasons for the girl to run away, and there were no traces of her having been abducted. The girl’s family continues to nurture hopes of finding her some day. Where did she go? How could a girl of her age disappear into thin air? The entire episode remains shrouded in mystery, even after 18 months of this shocking incident.