Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested 20-year-old Sheikh Jan Saida alias Rabbani, a resident of Parchur, in Haryana after tracing him for nearly three months in connection with the disappearance of a 14-year-old Hindu girl from Guntur.
The girl, a Class 10 student from Guntur, went missing from the Pattabhipuram area on June 9. Her family accused that Sheikh Jan Saida alias Rabbani, a bike mechanic and a native of Parchur, had become acquainted with her through Instagram and gained her confidence by professing his love and using misleading assurances.
According to the information, the girl left with around 250 grams of gold jewellery and Rs 2 lakh in cash. A missing-person case, FIR was registered at Pattabhipuram Police Station.
How the girl was allegedly trapped
Police investigation reportedly found that Sheikh Jan Saida had made preparations before taking the girl away.
According to the reports, he stayed in a lodge in Guntur for about a week before the taking the girl away, purchased a second-hand two-wheeler online and procured SIM cards.
He used those SIM cards to send messages to the girl’s mobile phone for about a week and gradually established contact with her. The reports say the girl deleted the messages from her phone before leaving home and subsequently discarded the handset in a drain.
On June 9, she was picked up from Pattabhipuram on a motorcycle at 9 pm. CCTV footage reportedly showed the pair travelling towards Chilakaluripet.
The investigation subsequently traced their movements from Nellore to Chennai, Coimbatore, Palakkad and Hyderabad, before they eventually reached Haryana.
In Nellore, the Sheikh Jan Saida sought shelter with a mechanic friend and purchased clothes. The motorcycle was reportedly left behind, with Jan Saida sending a message to another acquaintance asking him to collect it.
Police tracked accused through Instagram account
The investigation became more complicated as the accused avoided regular mobile phone calls, repeatedly changed SIM cards and used Instagram accounts and messages to communicate.
According to the reports, police teams followed CCTV and technical leads at different locations, but the accused repeatedly moved before investigators could reach him. He also allegedly challenged police through Instagram, daring them to catch him.
A crucial breakthrough reportedly came on September 3 night, when the girl’s Instagram account made a missed call to her parents. The phone was switched off immediately afterwards. The police IT team reportedly intensified its investigation based on the digital trail.
Accused caught in Haryana
Police reportedly identified the pair’s location as a hotel in Budhakhera, Karnal, Haryana. A police team travelled to Haryana on September 4 morning and, with the assistance of local police, took Jan Saida into custody. The girl was also traced, and the police team subsequently began bringing them back to Guntur.
The development came after the girl’s father approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court with a habeas corpus petition, seeking the recovery of his daughter. The court had reportedly questioned the progress of the investigation and adjourned the matter to the following September 6.
The reports also state that Jan Saida had a 2025 assault case registered at Parchur Police Station.
