Bombay HC asks police to check possibilities of human trafficking in Shirdi missing people

The Bombay High Court on Saturday, December 14, asked the police to probe into the possibility of human trafficking or organ racket in the case of 88 people who went missing last year from Maharashtra's temple town of Shirdi, said Advocate Sushant Vinayak Dixit while speaking to a news agency in Mumbai.

"The High Court has asked the police to conduct an investigation whether the missing people have fallen prey to organ racket or human trafficking. The judicature has time and again directed the officials to take requisite measures to search the missings," siad Dixit.

Manoj Kumar Soni, a residing of Indore, had filed a petition last year in the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, stating that in August 2017, his wife went missing when he and his family visited Shirdi. The police has been asked to submit the report on the same," Dixit added.

Probe Trafficking Angle To Shirdi's Missing People: HC To Cops

The Bombay High Court has called for a special unit to look into the disappearance of devotees in Shirdi. A bench of Bombay High Court has issued orders to the Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police to investigate the matter. The next hearing on the case will be held on January 10, 2020.

Devotees reported missing in Shirdi

Over 88 people were reported missing in a year from Maharashtra's shrine Shirdi, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has noted and asked the police to probe into various possibilities behind their disappearance. A division bench of Justices TV Nalawade and SM Gavanhe made the observations last month while hearing a 2018 criminal petition filed by one Manoj Kumar. 

Devotee Jumps To Death Under TTD Vehicle At Tirumala

The town of Shirdi, in Ahmednagar district of Maharastra, houses the famous temple dedicated to Saibaba, a renowned saint revered by people across communities. The shrine, one of the richest in the country, attracts thousands of people every day from across the world. A few of the missing persons were traced but the remaining, mostly women, have not been found, the bench said.

"When a poor person goes missing, the relatives are helpless. Most of them do not approach the police and rarely such cases come up to this court. Thus, there is a possibility that more than 88 people shown on record have gone missing," the judges said.

(With inputs from agencies)