Trace kidnapped boy: HC to cops

Acting upon a Habeas Corpus petition, the Bombay high court on Thursday directed the Mumbai police to trace within three weeks the kidnapped 15-year-old son of a city-based whistleblower. Mohammed Shaikh, the boy’s father and whistleblower, had exposed irregularities in a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) project in Santa Cruz and filed a complaint against the promoter. The state on Friday informed the division bench of Justice P.V. Hardas and P.N. Deshmukh that a police team was likely to visit Hyderabad to trace the boy, and sought some time to produce him before the court. The petition filed by Mr Shaikh alleged that his adversaries had kidnapped his son, Master Mohammed Sajid Shaikh, as he had exposed illegalities in an SRA project in Shastri Nagar Housing Society in the western suburb of Santa Cruz. The petitioner’s counsel Gayatri Singh informed the court that the petitioner had also filed a complaint with Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (Mhada) about corruption in the housing project, following which he got threat calls to withdraw the case filed by him. However, he did not relent. Mr Shaikh further alleged that for the past two years the chief promoter of the SRA project and his henchmen were harassing him because he had exposed the alleged irregularity in the housing project. Often, stones were hurled at his house. He was given police protection, but it was highly irregular. The petitioner said his son was kidnapped on November 22 last year. Despite writing to authorities such as the chief minister, police commissioner and Mhada chairman, no action was taken against the offenders. Finally, the police registered a case and arrested three persons while two others are absconding.