Hyderabad: Police wasted 30 minutes in discussing about jurisdiction when the family of Dr P. Priyanka Reddy went to lodge a missing complaint. The CCTV cameras at the place where the victim was abducted were not working properly and did not film the truck in which she was taken away. The police failed in their patrolling work, stated the National Commission for Women (NCW).
NCW member Shyamala S. Kunder, along with advocate Deepika Reddy of the Legal Service Authority went to the spot and met with the police officials before coming to this conclusion.
Ms Kunder is the chairperson of the inquiry committee appointed by the NCW into the Priyanka Reddy case. She said, “Did the police not notice the truck which was lying there for two days? Did they even inquire? How come the CCTV did not capture the puncturing of the scooty’s tyre? These are questions which are not answered. The toll plaza does not have a compound wall. Anyone can come inside the toll plaza and they indulge in anti-social activities and there is no accountability. A few kilometres away, it is deserted which gives scope to anti-social elements.”
The NCW member asked the police where their patrol van was during that time. The police stated that the patrol van was at another spot. But the exact location has not been shared by them.
The team also found that the cameras are not working properly at the toll plaza. There is no footage of the bike being punctured. The department people also work there and it also puts their lives at risk, they observed. She said, “What is the point of CCTV when it is not working? Blacklist the vendor. Action must also be taken against the officers who were on patrolling duty as they have failed to trace the young girl.” The members went to meet the parents of Dr Priyanka Reddy. The police officers were asked to leave and only a counsellor was there with them when they spoke to the family. The parents were in a state of shock and were worried about the phone being switched off.
They said that the police wasted 30 minutes talking and deciding on the jurisdiction. Ms Kunder said, “They have wasted precious time. The parents went to the airport at 11 pm and did not find the bike or Dr Reddy. The police has to be humane in their work. They must not give suggestions but act.”
