Family of youngster missing for almost a year ago moves Kerala HC for CBI probe

The Kerala High Court. | Photo Credit: H. Vibhu

The family of Adam Jo Antony, a youngster from Palluruthy who went missing hardly a fortnight before his 20th birthday, has moved the Kerala High Court demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into his mysterious disappearance after the Kerala Police failed to make a breakthrough in the case almost a year after.

Jo had gone for his routine early morning cycling on July 28, 2024. CCTV footage from his immediate neighbourhood showed Jo on the road at 3.19 a.m. on the day he went missing. Thereafter, he was untraceable. He had neither taken his wallet nor his mobile phone, which made tracking him by tower location impossible.

“Our demand for a CBI probe is not out of our dissatisfaction over the police probe. They are indeed investigating and keeping us informed. But it is now 312 days since he went missing, and there is no hint of where he is or what happened to him,” said K.J. Antony, Jo’s father. He filed a habeas corpus petition in the Kerala High Court, urging the police to produce his son in November 2024. The latest hearing was held on Tuesday (June 03, 2025).

After the initial probe by the local police made little headway, District Police Chief (Kochi City) Putta Vimaladitya formed a Special Investigation Team headed by the Mattancherry Assistant Commissioner in September 2024. Later, another team led by the Deputy Commissioner was put in charge of the probe following the habeas corpus petition. The police have been submitting fortnightly reports to the court since then.

The police have also been coordinating with their counterparts in other States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, and even Himachal Pradesh. Police teams going to other States to investigate other cases are also being asked to take up this missing case with the local police there.  

Besides, the police have been to places within and outside Kerala that Jo had visited before he went missing. Spots where he could have likely abandoned his cycle or sold it have also been covered. The police are also in touch with Malayali associations in other States. The possibility of the youngster working somewhere incognito and the identity of victims involved in accidents or mishaps is also looked into.

The incident has taken a heavy toll on the youngster’s family, not the least on his 14-year-old younger sibling.

Published - June 04, 2025 11:26 am IST