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More than six hundred Delhi Police personnel assisted by sniffer dogs scanned the inhabited and forested areas of the sprawling Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on Monday to search for clues that could help them trace MSc student Najeeb Ahmed, who has been missing for over two months now.
The men and women of the Delhi Police began their search around 11 am under the supervision of deputy commissioner of police-crime branch, G Ram Gopal Naik. A team visited Mahi-Mandvi hostel where Najeeb
stayed and took help of sniffer dogs who smelled Najeeb's clothes.
The sniffer dogs failed to make any headway and stopped after circling around in the hostel.
"All agencies of the Delhi Police including special cell, special branch and the local police pooling more than 600 personnel scanned the hostels, residential areas, academic blocks and forested area till 5 pm. Help of mounted police was also taken to scan the vast area but nothing was found," said a senior police officer.
About 65-70 percent of the campus was covered on Monday and rest including the residential areas and the interiors of the campus will be scanned on Tuesday, he said.
The exercise is being undertaken by 12 assistant commissioner of police, 30 inspectors and 60 sub inspectors along with hundreds of constables under monitoring of two DCP rank officers.
Najeeb has been missing since October 15 after a scuffle at his hostel allegedly with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad students on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been announced by the Delhi Police on any information about Najeeb.
Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees who was present at the hostel termed the police search "too late" and "futile".
"They should have carried out this search immediately after Najeeb went missing. But now, its of no use. I appeal to police to bring back my son and I will take him home from here," she said.
The massive search was mounted following a Delhi high court order last week directing the Delhi Police to scan the entire JNU campus including hostels, classrooms as well as rooftops of the buildings with help of sniffer dogs.
The JNU Students Union which was asked by court to furnish affidavit regarding its cooperation with police also expressed dissatisfaction with it.
"Sixty five days of Najeeb's disappearance, what did Delhi Police do? In last 3 hearings in the court counsel for crime branch himself accepted that there has been delay by Delhi Police in searching Najeeb," said a JNUSU statement.
Accusing the Delhi Police of "paying lip service" after court order, the students union charged it of indulging in "absurd exercises with "clueless methodology.
"Now to save their face in front of court they are doing absurd exercises with clueless methodology," said the statement.