MP High Court Hands Gwalior Woman’s Disappearance Case to CBI, Suspects Inter-State Human Trafficking

Gwalior , September 2 : The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Gwalior Bench has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman from Gwalior, who has remained untraced since April 2025. The court observed that the case may involve inter-state human trafficking, making a centralised investigation necessary.

 

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A division bench comprising Justice G.S. Ahluwalia and Justice Anuradha Shukla passed the order while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Shelendra Kumar Upadhyay, seeking the recovery of his daughter, identified in the proceedings as Dolly.

 

According to the court order, Dolly, then aged 19 years and eight months, left her relatives’ home in Morar on April 28, 2025, to attend college but did not return. A missing person report was filed the following day.

 

After nearly a year without any breakthrough, her father approached the High Court in April 2026. The court subsequently directed the authorities to intensify efforts to trace her and submit regular status reports.

 

 

The court noted that despite extensive efforts, including a nationwide search and assistance from the Cyber Forensic Unit and banking authorities, the woman remained untraced.

 

The bench observed that the investigation had now expanded to different cities across the country and noted that an “angle of illegal human trafficking” was also suspected.

 

 

 

The court further observed that in cases involving a possible multi-state criminal syndicate, local police can face jurisdictional limitations, making it difficult to track suspects across different states.The High Court directed the Town Inspector of Police Station Morar to hand over the case diary of Crime No. 356/2026 to the CBI.

 

The Principal Registrar of the High Court was also directed to immediately communicate the order to the CBI Director. The investigating officer has been instructed to begin the probe without any loss of time and complete it with reasonable expedition.

 

 

The bench clarified that transferring the case to the CBI should not be viewed as criticism of the local police. The court specifically recorded that it was not expressing dissatisfaction with the investigation conducted by the local police.

 

The court also acknowledged the prolonged agony and anxiety of the missing woman’s father, who has been seeking answers about his daughter’s whereabouts.