Jaipur, March 5 : The search for Prince alias Tillu, who went missing from Ramdevaâ??s Dhani in Unbara village six years ago, continues to yield no results. Despite a 12-day search operation on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to trace his remains, police have not found any concrete evidence related to the case.

The digging, which started on March 1, was discontinued on Wednesday, although police personnel remained deployed at the site. Before that, the area was surveyed, and even drones were used.

Further, the 15-day police remand of accused Anil and Krishna has ended. During the investigation, police conducted excavations at several locations identified through drone surveys and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology. After comparing a 2020 drone report with the latest survey, two to three spots were marked as highly sensitive. In the first phase of the operation, the asphalt layer of the highway was removed using a milling machine. After that, digging was carried out with JCB machines and excavators along a stretch of about 80-100 meters, approximately four meters wide and up to 12 feet deep.

Special surveillance was maintained at all suspected locations, including the area near a Peepal tree, which was also identified during the survey. Police teams are continuously examining the soil removed during the excavation.

According to sources, the machine used for excavation costs around Rs 10,500 per hour in rent, while it consumes about 20 litres of diesel per hour. The total cost of the operation so far is estimated to be between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 60 lakh. Excavation work also continued at night with the help of floodlights.

Additional Superintendent of Police Yogendra Faujdar and Station House Officer Zaheer Abbas are closely monitoring the operation. During the excavation, two lanes of the expressway were temporarily closed, while traffic continued through the remaining three lanes.

Meanwhile, Jagmohan Bairwa, the father of Prince (Tillu), became emotional when he reached the excavation site. He said that if his son's remains were found, the family would at least be able to perform his last rites according to Hindu traditions.

After 12 days of continuous efforts without any breakthrough, the family is becoming increasingly disappointed, yet they continue to hope for closure in the long-pending case.

According to police sources, six-year-old Prince alias Tillu went missing from his home on August 16, 2020. For a long time, investigators failed to find any significant clues in the case. Frustrated by the lack of progress, the family filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court. Following the courtâ??s strict directives, the police intensified their investigation and eventually arrested a neighbour -- reportedly a relative of the family -- and his sister in connection with the case.

It has also emerged that the accused continued to stay close to the victimâ??s family for years to avoid suspicion.

Following the confession of the accused of burying the child on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway stretch, police began an extensive search operation, including excavation work along the expressway to locate the remains.

Despite the use of advanced technology such as drone surveys and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), the body has not yet been recovered.

The failure to find the remains despite multiple technical indications has become a major challenge for investigators, said officials.

/IANS