In a bizarre turn of events, police in Madhya Pradesh spent six months and nearly ₹30,000 trying to trace a kidnapping accused, only to discover he had been lodged in a Bihar jail the entire time. The man was accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from Panna district last December. Despite multiple attempts, including visits to various locations across states and significant logistical expenses, the accused remained elusive. It was only recently that officials received a communication from Bihar confirming his presence in their custody since early January for a separate offense. The lapse has sparked questions over inter-state coordination between police departments.