Priya Kumari case: Fresh JIT to reopen investigation

KARACHI, July 17: The Sindh government has formed a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the kidnapping case of Priya Kumari, who has been missing since August 19, 2021, ARY News reported.

According to the Sindh Home Department, the JIT will be headed by the DIG Sukkur. The SSPs of Sukkur, Shikarpur and Larkana will be members of the team.

The JIT will also include the DSP/SDPO Sukkur and officers from intelligence agencies.

The new JIT was formed after the DIG Sukkur wrote to the Inspector General (IG) of Sindh Police, who later requested the Home Department to constitute a fresh investigation team.

The letter said Priya Kumari has been missing since August 19, 2021, while the previous JIT and district police have failed to recover her despite years of investigation.

The case came back into focus after Priya’s family received a ransom call in November last year. The caller claimed to be a dacoit from the riverine area and demanded ransom for the girl’s release.

However, SSP Sukkur had said the call was fake. He said such calls are often made by people trying to claim the reward money announced in the case.

The SSP also said police investigated the phone number provided by the family and are using all available resources to recover Priya Kumari.

Earlier, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar had claimed that Priya Kumari was alive. Speaking to protesters demanding her recovery at Karachi’s Teen Talwar, he said authorities had received evidence suggesting that the girl was still alive.