Lakadganj police trace missing Rajubhai Pandya at Nagpur station after 37-day search

Rajesh alias Rajubhai Pandya, 62, a resident of Vardhaman Nagar in Nagpur, has finally been found. Lakadganj police searched for him for 37 days. He was found in the Tekdi Road area of Nagpur railway station. Police traced him on the basis of technical analysis, confidential tip-offs, CCTV footage and inquiries in the area.

The case was significant at the social and political level as well, so police faced a major challenge in tracing him. The investigation was not confined to Nagpur city. The search covered seven states and 21 districts of Maharashtra.

A case is registered at Lakadganj police station under crime number 597/2026 under Section 138 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Rajubhai was being searched for in this case. After he went missing, police first gathered information from relatives, friends, acquaintances and social contacts. Every piece of information was verified to identify likely hideouts. The scope of the investigation was widened and special police teams were sent to different places.

The search went on in other states along with Maharashtra. Police teams personally went to several likely places, including Chhindwara and Parasia in Madhya Pradesh. Inquiries were made at railway stations, bus stands, hotels, lodges, dharamshalas, places of worship and gaushalas. Information was exchanged with local police stations, crime branches and other agencies in the districts concerned.

Police also used technology. Call detail records (CDR), mobile locations, available digital information and other technical inputs were analysed. The investigation was also taken forward on the basis of useful information obtained from systems such as NATGRID, CCTNS and ICJS.

About 75 CCTV footages from Nagpur city and other likely places were examined. Recordings from railway stations, bus stands, hotels, hospitals and public places were used to try to trace his movements.

Statements of about 125 people were recorded. Police questioned relatives, friends, acquaintances and other people concerned and checked the information received. Information relating to 67 gaushalas and 89 places of worship in Nagpur city, Nagpur rural and other likely areas was also examined.

To widen the search, social media, WhatsApp groups, digital messages and the media were used, so that the information reached as many people as possible and the search could move forward if a tip came from anywhere. Coordination with the inter-state police network and local agencies continued, and information received from different teams was analysed.

After this 37-day effort, police got an important lead from a confidential tip. Combining technical investigation with inquiries in the area, the Lakadganj police team found Rajesh alias Rajubhai Pandya in the Tekdi Road area of Nagpur railway station.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of senior officers. Led by Senior Police Inspector Mukund Kawade, Sub-Inspector Balaji Mane and constables Prakash, Anand, Vishal and Mayur played an important role. According to police, the original police report also mentions the search in seven states and 21 districts of Maharashtra.