Police seek psychiatrists’ opinion to trace missing JNU student

New Delhi: Delhi Police is planning to seek opinion of psychiatrists from AIIMS or RML Hospital to chalk out a plan to trace the missing JNU student case.

JNU student Najeeb Ahmed (27) went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with some members of ABVP the night before. In a statement given to police, a doctor from VIMHANS who treated Najeeb has said he was suffering from “OCD with depression”.

“We are working on many tracks in the case but currently the pyschiatric angle is the most prominent in our probe,” a senior police officer said.

Experts say that people suffering from OCD and depression tend to recuse themselves and even leave their family members if they feel that there is a lot of brouhaha over something related to them, he said.

“Bearing this aspect in mind, we will be asking Najeeb’s mother, other family members and the university administration to stay calm and not create much noise over his disappearance so as to scare him away,” the officer said.

Following a discussion with family members, police will also be involving a mental health expert from AIIMS or RML hospital.

“We will consult psychiatrists from AIIMS or RML hospital on how to handle the situation. First we will talk to the family and then consult experts to chalk out a plan of action that helps us trace the victim.

“From the statements of the warden, his roommate and the doctor and the medicines found from his room, it is clear that there were some medical issues with Najeeb. They have certainly given us a potent postulate to have a meaningful interaction with a psychiatrist,” the officer said.

The police officer said the case has posed a unique challenge for them and it is probably the first time that they are doing psychoanalytic profiling of a missing person in a case.

PTI