The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against unknown police personnel of Purkajipur police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar over the disappearance of a history-sheeter who went missing shortly after his release from Bahraich jail, following serious questions raised by the Allahabad high court over local police investigation and alleged manipulation of records, officials said on Sunday.
His family alleged that Purkajipur police detained him and his father immediately after his release. However, the court found discrepancies in the police account regarding the warrant’s issuance and receipt. It noted that an entry relating to Muttliv appeared to have been inserted subsequently and questioned a purported non-bailable warrant allegedly shown as received by the police as it was not in the prescribed format and did not mention the date on which it was issued. The court directed the Muzaffarnagar district judiciary to examine the warrant’s genuineness and sought a report from the Bahraich jail authorities on Muttliv’s release and whether any warrant had been served on him while he was in custody. No statements from relatives, neighbours or friends had been recorded. The bench observed that the circumstances raised two possibilities—Muttliv could have been killed and his body concealed or he could be hiding to evade the criminal justice process. It held that the local police could not conduct an unbiased investigation and transferred the probe to the CBI, directing it to submit a preliminary report.
The case follows a habeas corpus petition filed by Alam, brother of Muttliv, who has around 30 criminal cases against him, according to court records. Muttliv was released from Bahraich jail on May 4 after the high court granted him bail in December 2025. His father was released on May 7, but Muttliv remains untraced. The police told the high court that they were searching for Muttliv to execute a warrant in a 2012 sessions trial. In its August 11 order, the court also flagged apparent manipulation in the Purkajipur police station’s original order book of summons and warrants. On August 31, the bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev further questioned the manner in which the local police were investigating the disappearance. The SHO told the court that a special team had been formed on August 15, but the general diary entries showed the team largely visiting bus stands and posting Muttliv’s photographs.
The case is scheduled to come up before the high court on Monday. The CBI has registered a regular case and entrusted the investigation to Deputy SP Suresh Pal of its ACB, Ghaziabad.
