A Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Andhra Pradesh has rescued a 15-year-old girl from Guntur who had been forcibly taken more than 90 days ago, and detained the accused, Shaik Jaan Saida, from a hotel in Budha Khera, Karnal, Haryana, marking a major breakthrough in a case that had drawn High Court scrutiny.
The accused had allegedly used social media to lure the Class 10 student and then evaded authorities for nearly three months, travelling through Parchur in Bapatla district, Nellore, Coimbatore, Palakkad in Kerala, and Hyderabad, before finally being located in Haryana.
The girl's father had filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court, where judges expressed strong displeasure over lapses in the police investigation and pulled up state DGP Harish Kumar Gupta. The court posted the case for further hearing on September 7.
Following the court intervention, Guntur SP Vakul Jindal constituted the SIT, drawing members from Pattabhipuram Police Station. The team conducted an extensive search, tracking the accused's movements through Instagram call logs and facial recognition technology.
A crucial lead came on Thursday night, when the girl's parents received a missed call from her Instagram account. The phone was switched off immediately after. The police IT department intensified its efforts on this lead. Although the accused had repeatedly changed Instagram accounts to hoodwink investigators, the team was still able to pinpoint his location.
Investigation revealed that Jaan had changed two Instagram accounts within a single day. Overall, the girl had used three Instagram accounts during the period, while the accused used seven different accounts in his attempts to avoid detection.
Acting on the location intelligence, a police team travelled to Haryana early Friday morning and, with the cooperation of local police, took the accused into custody. Reports indicate that Jaan had received assistance from friends and two family members while on the run. He had also reportedly attempted to sell gold that the girl had brought from her home.
AP Police are now bringing both the accused and the rescued girl to Guntur for further investigation.
