Delhi Police declare reward for missing Jahnvi

Delhi Police Sunday declared a reward of Rs.50,000 for those giving information about Jahnvi, a three-year-old girl child who went missing from Delhi's India Gate last week.

When police failed to get any clue about Jahnvi who went missing last Sunday, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi announced a reward of Rs.50,000 to anyone providing information on her whereabouts.

Jahnvi, whose missing person report was registered in Tilak Marg police station, was found missing around 9.15 p.m. Sep 28 from India Gate where she had gone with her parents.

"We were preparing to leave. She (Jahnvi) was sitting with me. She disappeared within two minutes," said her distraught mother, who has refused to eat since the unfortunate incident.

Displaying Jahnvi's photograph, the child's kin also took to Jantar Mantar to protest against Delhi Police's failure to trace her.

Speaking about the case, Bassi said they were following all the standard operating procedures to trace the child and as soon as they get any clue, they will inform the parents.

The victim's kin, however, claimed that Delhi Police failed to get any information about the child despite the availability of CCTV footage and a phone number given by the girl's parents to them.

The available footage show Jahnvi wandering in the India Gate area along with others. Police have still not been able to identify those around her in the footage.

About the phone number provided by child's parents, Additional Commissioner of Police S.B.S. Tyagi told IANS: "It was a mobile number which was used to call victim's parents to tell them about the location of the child."

"The caller made a call to the victim's parents Oct 2 (Thursday) and told them to reach Red Fort. The caller informed that the child was with him. But, the child was not found there. It seems that someone had made a prank call," he said.

"We have traced the number. It was issued from Assam and its current location is still there. We are trying to trace the caller," he said.

The official said the child might have fallen into the clutches of a gang that steals children to sell them to childless couples because no ransom calls have been received by the girl's family yet.

Delhi Police's three top units -- the crime branch, the special cell and the cyber cell -- are assisting the district police to find any clue about the child but their efforts have remained unsuccessful.

The girl's kin have also taken the help of social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook to help find Jahnvi.