Ranchi, May 13 : Family members of an 18-month-old girl, missing for the last four days, and other residents staged a massive protest in Ranchi on Wednesday, demanding the recovery of the girl.

The protesters blocked traffic at Koker Chowk for nearly an hour, leading to massive congestion on the National Highway and severely disrupting vehicular movement in the area.

On receiving information about the blockade, personnel from the Sadar police station and traffic police rushed to the spot and began diverting vehicles through alternative routes.

Aditi Pandey reportedly went missing from near her home around 4.30 p.m. on May 9. Despite extensive efforts, no trace of her has been found so far. Following this, her family lodged a complaint at the Sadar police station.

Taking the matter seriously, Ranchi police constituted multiple teams to trace the child and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to her recovery.

During the initial investigation, police suspected that the child may have fallen into a nearby large drain. Based on this theory, a joint team of the NDRF, the municipal corporation, and Ranchi Police conducted an intensive search operation from Koker Khorhatoli to the Swarnarekha river near Namkum. The operation continued for several hours amid sludge, filth, and strong water currents.

On Tuesday, the discovery of a piece of flesh and a bone near a drain in the Garhi village area fuelled suspicion that they could be linked to the missing child. However, the family questioned this claim, stating that doctors during the postâ??mortem examination had said the bone belonged to an animal.

The family has alleged that the police are attempting to push the case towards the drain theory despite the absence of any concrete evidence so far.

Meanwhile, several police teams are continuing their efforts to trace the missing child, but so far they have not met with success.

/IANS