Jesna case: CBI finds crucial lead, says now absconding prisoner knows her whereabouts

Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reportedly has a crucial lead on the mysterious disappearance of Kanjirappally native and college student Jesna Maria James in 2018, reported Manorama News.

The CBI reportedly got a call four months ago from the Central Prison, Poojappura, saying that an inmate wanted to share an important information.

The man, who is an accused in a child abuse case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, had claimed that two years ago, when he was lodged in Kollam District Jail, his fellow in-mate from Pathanamthitta, imprisoned for theft, claimed to know details on Jesna's whereabouts.

Upon investigation, CBI found that the Poojappura inmate's claims regarding being imprisoned with such a person, and his address, were correct. It was also found that the said offender from Pathanamthitta is absconding now.

The CBI took over the search for Jesna based on an order of the Kerala High Court. The court had directed the CBI to take up the case after Jesna’s brother Jaice John and president of the pro-Congress Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) K M Abhijith moved a plea in this regard citing the failure of the Kerala Police in tracing Jesna.

Kerala Police had reportedly achieved significant progress in the investigation, especially during the term of K G Simon as Superintendent of Police, Pathanamthitta. Among the major findings of the police was that Jesna had left her house at Santhosh Kavala, Kollamula in Pathanamthitta based on a well-charted-out plan.

Jesna's disappearance
Jesna, the youngest among the three children of Fancy and James Joseph, was a second year BCom student at St Dominic’s College, Kanjirappally.

She was 21 years old when she went missing.

She left her house at Kollamula on March 22, 2018 around 9 am and was reportedly heading to the house of a relative at Punchavayal in Mundakayam.

From Kollamula, she took an autorickshaw and later boarded a bus to Erumeli. From the Erumeli bus stand, she apparently took a bus to Mundakayam.

She apparently spoke to the fellow passengers en route to Mundakkayam. Though the police probe reached Chennai in search of Jesna there was no headway. There has been no trace of Jesna ever since.

When Jesna's father notified the Erumeli police station about the matter, he was asked to approach the Vechuchira station. Though the police had promised to forward the complaint, they failed to do so.

The Vechuchira police was disinterested in the case right from the start. They insisted that the girl eloped and that she would return home in a few days. Jesna's relatives allege that the police began a proper investigation only after two weeks of receiving the complaint.

When police officers recreated her travel path, they found that she was following a plan. For instance, Jesna avoided a relative she saw on the way.

Some acquaintances too had noticed her, but Jesna ignored them. There were rumours that Jesna moved to Syria.