CCTV footage sought by the Delhi Police from the Jamia authorities in connection with the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad has been erased as the authorities store a day's clips for one month, prompting the probe team to seek help from Forensic Science laboratory (FSl) to retrieve the images.
The Jamia administration, after initial reluctance, shared CCTV footage with the Delhi Police's Crime Branch, which is probing the whereabouts of Najeeb missing for over a month only to inform that the footage older than October 18 was not available, a police source said.
“A few days ago a guard at JNU's Mahi Mandavi Hostel where Najeeb was staying, received a letter stating that the student was held captive in Aligarh. However, on verification, the letter was found to be bogus," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said.
The reward amount for providing information on Najeeb's whereabouts has been increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh owing to the "sensitivity" of the matter.
Najeeb went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with ABVP members the night before. The case was last week transferred from South District Police to Crime Branch in order to have a "fresh look" at the case.