Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, told the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour that the state government is pursuing strict disciplinary and criminal action against police personnel responsible for a grave investigative failure in the Jalgaon Jamod missing woman case. The case, which saw a woman's parents wrongfully arrested for murder while she was alive, has drawn sharp condemnation across the House.

How the Investigative Failure Unfolded

A missing person complaint had been filed regarding a local woman from Jalgaon Jamod. When an unidentified body was subsequently discovered, police hastily concluded — without any definitive scientific validation or final forensic verification — that it belonged to the missing woman. Acting on this flawed assumption, officers closed the case and went further, arresting the woman's own parents on charges of murder.

The case took a dramatic turn when the missing woman turned up alive and presented herself at the local police station, compelling authorities to release her wrongfully detained parents. The sequence has been described by the Chief Minister himself as entirely unacceptable conduct by the police.

Action Against Errant Officers

Responding to a query raised by MLA Rohit Pawar, Chief Minister Fadnavis confirmed that all officers involved from the Local Crime Branch — including Police Inspectors and Assistant Police Inspectors — have been suspended. Criminal charges are being filed against them. Fadnavis further emphasised that suspension is only a preliminary step; once direct culpability is established through due process, the government will initiate proceedings to permanently dismiss the guilty officials from service.

This is a significant escalation: permanent dismissal from government service, rather than mere suspension, signals that the administration is treating this as a case of serious dereliction rather than routine procedural error.

AI Technology and the Unidentified Body

The Chief Minister also disclosed that the state government has deployed Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to analyse approximately 1,600 to 1,700 missing person cases, successfully identifying seven unidentified bodies so far. The investigation into the unidentified body at the centre of the Jalgaon Jamod case is also utilising this AI system. A separate, independent investigation is now underway to establish the true identity of the discovered body.

The state government has additionally announced financial compensation for the victimised family, acknowledging the immense trauma suffered by the wrongfully accused parents.

Malad West Prayer Meeting Case

Separately, Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar informed the Assembly that a criminal case has been registered in connection with a controversial prayer meeting held on 10 May 2026 at Rejoice International School in Malad West, Mumbai. Responding to a question by MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar, Bhoyar stated that the organiser of the event allegedly placed his hands on attendees' heads, claiming he could cure illnesses and relieve suffering.

Initial police inquiries found no explicit coercion for religious conversion, but the organiser reportedly instructed a complainant to remove pictures of deities from their home. The preliminary probe concluded that the event promoted superstition. The Malad Police have registered a case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act.

Bhoyar assured the House that a thorough investigation is underway, and that the state's School Education Department will be directed to issue strict guidelines preventing such events from being organised on school premises in the future.