CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has expressed serious concern over the continued disappearance of a minor child, who was allegedly abducted at Puri in 2023, and directed intensified efforts for immediate rescue.
The two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped while her mother was selling tender coconuts outside a hotel in Puri in December 2023. As per case records, a man and woman arrived in a car and stopped near the coconut seller. While the man engaged the mother in conversation over buying coconuts, the woman reportedly picked up the child from near the vehicle and fled.
A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman reviewed the progress made by police in tracing the child. The matter was heard in continuation of the court’s earlier order dated February 23, 2026, in which Puri SP was directed to constitute a special task force (STF) and personally monitor the investigation.
During the hearing, additional government advocate Debashis Tripathy submitted written instructions on behalf of the state authorities, revealing a special investigation team has been constituted by the SP to trace the girl child. The team has conducted searches across multiple locations and also contacted various hospitals and the Child Welfare Committee to gather any information regarding the missing child.
Despite these efforts, no concrete leads have emerged so far. Expressing concern over it the bench observed, “It is really alarming that a child, who is allegedly taken away from the custody of biological parents, is still untraceable. We show our concern over the welfare of the said child and there is a reasonable apprehension in our mind that unless the said child is immediately rescued and/or recovered, there is every possibility of the said child being misused.”
Placing responsibility on the district police, the bench directed the SP to take all necessary and proactive measures to rescue or recover the child at the earliest. The court emphasised that no effort should be spared in ensuring the child’s safety. The SP has been instructed to submit a detailed progress report on the next date of hearing on April 6.