The Delhi High Court on Monday said it was “foxed by the lack of information” in the missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student case even four months later, PTI reported. Najeeb Ahmad’s family had requested his case be transferred to another investigating agency as the Delhi Police’s investigation had made no headway.

“It is very strange. Five to six months have gone by since he disappeared. Even if something worse has happened, it should have come out by now,” justices G S Sistani and Vinod Goel said, adding “that is why, we are foxed”. The court directed the police to conduct the case in accordance with the law.

The court said every missing person was important and that it does not reflect well for people to go missing without a trace. The justices made the statement during a hearing of a plea from one of the nine students who are suspects in the case. The plea sought a clarification of media reports that said the court had directed nine students to undergo a lie-detector test. The court said it had not ordered for the test, which was the prerogative of the police, and that the students could refuse to undergo the test.

Counsel Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi Police, said teams had been dispatched to Odisha and Delhi’s Bijwasan where Ahmad was reportedly seen. The searches yielded no conclusive results, Mehra said.

The 27-year-old biotechnology student was reported missing on October 15, 2016, after a spat with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisha. He was initially described by university officials as an “accused” in the events of that night, but after he went missing, the police registered a case of abduction and offered a reward for any information on his whereabouts. Following orders from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Delhi Police also formed a special team to trace Ahmad.

The police have failed to make any major breakthrough since his disappearance, triggering criticism and protests against the authorities.