Police announces Rs 20K cash reward for information on missing girl

Six months after a minorgirl went missing while playing in front of her house at avillage in Odisha, the police on Sunday announced a cashreward of Rs 20,000 for information about the two-and-a-half-year-old girl.

Jajpur Superintendent of Police Rahul P R visitedBinjharpur police station on Saturday and reviewed the case,police said.

He has ordered constitution of a special team toprobe the matter.

The police action came after the girls motherthreatened to sit on a dharna in front of the Assembly whichwill commence its budget session from February 18.

Parents of a five-year-old girl of Jadupur village inNayagarh district had last year attempted to set themselveson fire in front of the Assembly following which the policehad set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The girl had gone missing on July 14 and her skeletalremains were found in the backyard of her house at Jadupurvillage July 23.

Meanwhile, posters have been put up at differentplaces seking information about the minor girl.

The police has also started drying up a pondnear the girl's house at Madhusudanpur village.

Unhappy over ''tardy pace'' of police investigation, thegirl's mother is determined to visit the state capital andstage dharna before the assembly unless she gets justice.

''From the very beginning I have been claiming that mydaughter has been kidnapped. My child was playing along withthree other kids outside our house on August 9 last year.

While the other children are safe, my child is missing sincethen,'' she said.

Describing the police action as an ''eye-wash'', themother said, the police is drying up the pond six months afterthe incident, instead of doing it on that day itself.

''When there was a need for searching and tracingher, the police failed. It is now an useless effort,'' shesaid.

Parents of the girl had met the then Jajpur policechief and the district collector.

''Later, we went to Bhubaneswar and sat on dharnabefore the residence of Woman and Child Development MinisterTukuni Sahoo last month but could not meet her,'' she said.