Patna, Dec. 9: Recent incidents of abduction in the state capital have brought back into focus the previous cases of girls, who went missing years ago but were never recovered.

Anil Kumar’s teenaged daughter, Anu Bharti, a resident of Patna City’s Alamganj area who was taking her Matriculation examinations, stepped out of her home to buy guess papers on March 17 last year. Her family still awaits her return.

Ruchi Kumari and Nibha, who were lodged at the children’s remand home, ran away on August 8, 2008 along with two other girls, all hailing from Vaishali district. While the two other girls went home, Ruchi and Nibha could never be traced. Ruchi’s father, Chandrika Prasad, appealed in the Supreme Court against the police’s inactive role and exploitation.

Shruti Kumari, who hails from Patna City’s Maalsalami area, left home on July 8 last year for her coaching classes but did not return. Her father Rajkumar approached a recent police janata darbar chaired by former city superintendent of police Shivdeep Lande. The father claimed to have received missed calls from Dubai, arousing his suspicion that Shruti might have been taken to West Asia for flesh trade.

The police have failed to make any breakthrough in the four cases for years.

Anil Kumar, Anu’s father, said he was shocked at the police inaction.

“A few days before Anu went missing, she said one Sonu Kumar, a neighbourhood youth, was constantly troubling her. On confronting Sonu, we got into an altercation and he threatened me with dire consequences. After my daughter went missing, I narrated the incident to the cops. Sonu was arrested but couldn’t recover my daughter. I approached Patna High Court August last year and it ordered the police to recover by daughter immediately. But there is no trace of her,” Anil told The Telegraph.

Anil said he made a futile attempt to meet Bihar director-general of police Abhayanand last Monday. “I met additional director-general of police (law and order) S.K. Bharadwaj and gave him my petition. He gave me another assurance. I have come to know that she might be in a village under Medini Nagar police station area of Jharkhand’s Palamu district, where Sonu’s maternal home is situated. The police have not yet been able to arrest Sonu’s parents till now. Why don’t the cops check there?” Anil added.

Shruti’s family too desperately want her return.

“We just don’t know what happened. She went for her coaching classes and we are still waiting for her. I have knocked at the doors of so many policemen so far but in futile. A few months back, we received some blank calls from Dubai about which we told the former city SP. But all attempts have proved futile,” on of Shruti’s family members told The Telegraph.

The cases of Nibha and Ruchi’s disappearance are perplexing too.

“Both were lodged at the remand home in Patna City. Four girls, including the duo, fled on August 8, 2008. The other two girls reached home but Nibha and Ruchi remained missing. They are yet to be recovered. With the police allegedly torturing Ruchi’s family, her father Chandrika Prasad went to Patna High Court and then to Supreme Court. Earlier this year, Supreme Court strongly criticised the police’s alleged apathetic attitude in recovering the girl. The court said Ruchi should be immediately recovered and presented in court,” a police source said.

Sources added that the Chowk police of Patna City had brought one of the two girls who went back home. “Among the four, Meena had also escaped but had gone home. The police are now questioning her to gather more information about the incident. The police had earlier said an uncle of Ruchi had met all the four girls after their escape. The police version seems tricky as had it been so how could two girls reach home and the other two went missing,” the source added.

No police officer was neither willing to come on record nor was ready to speak regarding any of the four cases.