Eight months later, missing teen’s remains found, 28 policemen face action

In a shocking case exposing grave lapses within the police force, 28 police personnel , including a station house officer, have been suspended for dereliction of duty after the skeletal remains of an 18-year-old woman missing for eight months were recovered in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district.

According to Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh , the remains, comprising bone fragments and strands of hair, were discovered on Saturday in a secluded area near Chas College under the Pindrajora police station limits. The recovery was made following the arrest and confession of the accused, who allegedly murdered the woman last year.

“The suspended personnel not only failed in their duty but also colluded with the accused , breached confidentiality, and were even seen socialising with him. There were also financial transactions between them, severely damaging public trust in the police,” Singh said. The accused was apprehended after investigators analysed the victim’s mobile phone call records along with other technical inputs. During sustained interrogation, he confessed to the crime, police said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim and the accused had known each other for nearly three years. The woman had allegedly been pressuring him for marriage, which led him to plot the murder. On July 21 last year, when she visited Chas College for admission, the accused reportedly lured her to an isolated location about 1.5 km away, where he stabbed her to death. He then concealed the body in nearby bushes and disposed of the weapon.

Following his confession, police recovered 19 bone fragments , the victim’s clothes, hair strands, and the murder weapon from the site. The victim’s mother had filed a missing complaint on July 24, but a formal case was registered only on August 4 against unidentified persons, raising questions about initial police response.

The case later came under judicial scrutiny after the family approached the Jharkhand High Court , which sought accountability over alleged lapses in the investigation. A division bench headed by Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad also questioned senior police officials regarding delays and inaction in the case. The incident has triggered widespread outrage, highlighting concerns over police accountability, procedural lapses, and alleged corruption within the force.