Kasaragod: The High Court of Kerala on Monday criticised the Kerala Police for taking 25 days to find the body of a 15-year-old schoolgirl reported missing by her mother on February 12 in Kasaragod's Paivalige grama panchayat.

The division bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and MB Snehalatha directed the investigating officer, Kumbla Station House Officer Inspector Vinod Kumar KP, to appear before the court with the case diary on Tuesday. The bench said there would be serious consequences if there were any lapses in the investigation while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by the girl's mother, Prabhavathi B.

According to the petition, the Class 10 girl went missing from her house between 9 pm on February 11 and 4.45 am on February 12. After 25 days, Shreya and her neighbour Pradeep C K (42), who was also reported missing the same day, were found dead, hanging from a tree in Merkala forest, 300 metres from the girl's house on March 9. Neighbours and relatives had suspected that Pradeep, a taxi driver, might have taken the girl to Madikeri in Karnataka, where he had some connections.

On March 6, 22 days after she filed the missing report, Shreya's mother Prabhavathi filed a habeas corpus petition before the High Court, seeking directions to the police to find her. The division bench took up the case on March 7 and scheduled it for March 10.

"When the case came up for hearing today, the court was informed that the girl was found dead," said Adv P E Sajal, the counsel representing Prabhavathi.

The bench was livid and said the fact that the police took 26 days to find the girl indicated a lack of seriousness in the investigation, he said. "The division bench questioned whether this was because the girl belonged to a socially and economically backward family. The bench also asked if the police's approach would have been the same if she had been the daughter of a VIP," said Adv Sajal. Shreya's father Priyesh is a daily wage labourer and Prabhavathi is a worker under the MNREGS.  The bench reminded the police that the President of India and a person on the street are equal before the law. 

Investigating officer Vinod Kumar told Onmanorama that the police were certain the girl had not left the Merkala forest because their phones last pinged off a tower in the area. "We spread our investigation wide because residents and relatives insisted that they might have gone to Madikeri. But we were certain they did not leave the forest. We deployed 100 officers to comb the forest with thick undergrowth, deployed drones and the K9 Squad," he said. Dense undergrowth and lack of any foul smell delayed finding them, the inspector said.

But residents said the police launched the extensive search operation with drones and dog squad in Merkala forest on March 8, a day after the High Court took up the habeas corpus petition.

Shreya, Pradeep cremated
Meanwhile, the bodies of Shreya and Pradeep were handed back to their families after the autopsies at Government Medical College, Kannur, at Pariyaram, on Monday.

The preliminary reports said they died by suicide and there was no foul play, said Paivalige's Kudal ward member Ashoka Bhandary.

Shreya was cremated at Cherugoli crematorium in Mangalpady panchayat, 15 km from her home; Pradeep was cremated in his courtyard at Mandekappu Monday afternoon, said Bhandary, who attended the funerals.