HYDERABAD: Taking serious note of the ineffective use of CCTV cameras across the state, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday expressed its strong displeasure with the police department over its handling of a year-old case involving the disappearance of a boy from Manikonda, Hyderabad.
During a hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed by Polavarapu Raju, father of Polavarapu Lachanna, the missing boy, Justice T Vinod Kumar criticised the authorities for their negligence and lack of progress in the investigation.
“What is the use of installing so many cameras if they are not operational or used to trace missing persons?” the judge remarked, noting that public money was being spent on equipment that failed to serve its intended purpose.
Justice Kumar also asked the police whether the boy would have been seen on CCTV footage had he left his house. The bench criticised the general apathy of law enforcement in handling disappearance cases, observing that such negligence can lead to tragic outcomes. “People who go missing often do so with the belief that they will return. But in some cases, deaths have occurred due to the police’s failure to act in time,” the judge noted.
During the proceedings, the petitioner’s lawyer informed the court that the boy had been missing for over a year, and despite a police complaint being filed, no notable progress had been made. Counsel for the government stated that the boy’s details and photographs had been circulated to all police stations across the state, but admitted that no useful CCTV footage had been retrieved.
Unsatisfied with the response, the court directed the police to file a detailed counter affidavit with all relevant information regarding the investigation. The matter has been adjourned to April 28 for further hearing.