HC asks Delhi Police about steps taken to trace missing woman

The Delhi High Court asked the police on Wednesday about the steps taken to trace a recently-married woman, who went missing from her matrimonial home last month.

A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Prateek Jalan asked the deputy commissioner of police (north-east) to give a status report indicating what measures were taken by the Delhi Police after it received a complaint from the woman's father, alleging that his daughter was being harassed over dowry and he had had no contact with her since January 19.

According to the habeas corpus plea moved by the woman's father Ajmeri Khan, seeking whereabouts of his daughter Ishrat, the woman got married in November last year.

The petition, filed through advocate Amarjit Singh Bedi, has contended that on January 19, Khan received a call from his son-in-law, who said Ishrat was sick and ended the call abruptly.

The petitioner's son-in-law called him again after some time and told him that the woman was not at her matrimonial home and her stuff was also missing.

Subsequently, Khan and his son went to his daughter's matrimonial home, but his son-in-law refused to let them enter the house, the plea said, adding that when they went to the police, they were asked to wait for 24 hours.

Khan has claimed that since then, he has made several complaints to the police and even to the Delhi Commission for Women, but no efforts were made by the authorities to trace his daughter.