Missing teen who accused cop of harassment traced

The 17-year-old teen, who had accused Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Motor Transport (Pune) Nishikant More of sexually assaulting her at a birthday party, was traced to Dehradun on Tuesday. She had gone missing on January 6 from her residence in Taloja, Navi Mumbai with her 19year-old male friend, leaving behind a suicide note.

According to Taloja police, the teen was reportedly under pressure and media scrutiny after she had accused More of harassment in June last year. She was allegedly stalked by More last month when she visited a doctor, and that had disturbed her so much that she stopped stepping out of her house, her family had claimed. The suicide note, addressed to her parents and brother, read: “Me DIG ke pressure me aakar suicide karne ja rahi hu; mujhe dhundna mat” (I am going to commit suicide due to immense pressure from the DIG. Dot not try to find me).

"At around 11pm on January 6, the teen had jumped off the building gates and left with a tote bag, CCTV camera footage showed," said Kashinath Chavan, senior inspector of Taloja police station.

Later, police teams were formed to trace the teen and her male friend, who had switched off their mobile phones. As part of the investigation, police looked into every aspect of the note, including the threats of committing suicide under a train, and checked recent suicide incidents or attempts with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Acting on a tip-off, police sent a team to Dehradun, where the teenagers were located. They were brought to Navi Mumbai and reunited with their families. While Chavan confirmed about the teen being found, he refused to divulge any further details.