Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police rescued a minor girl, 36 hours after she went missing on April 13, and arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly inducing her to elope.
According to police sources, the incident came to light on April 14 when the mother of the girl, who resides at Jaleswar Basti near Delta Square, reported at the local police station that she had not returned home since the previous evening. The girl, who had recently appeared for her Class 10 Board examinations, had left home around 5:30 pm on April 13 to attend a coaching class near Fire Station Chhak.
“Multiple police teams were formed, and through a coordinated effort involving technical surveillance, CCTV footage analysis, human intelligence, and on-ground operations, the girl was traced and rescued from a house at Panchuka village in Bhramagiri block under Pipili police limits in Puri district within 36 hours,” Commissioner of Police Suresh Dev Datta Singh told a presser.
He further informed that Maheswar Parida, a resident of Brahmapur village in the district, was arrested in connection with the incident.
The accused came in touch with the 15-year-old girl a year ago. Her family members had earlier warned Parida, who ran a juice shop at CRPF square, against pursuing the Class X student for a relationship. He, however, induced the minor girl to travel to his native village. She left her bicycle and school bag at the coaching centre and accompanied him in a rented vehicle to Puri, where he also performed an “illegal marriage” with her.
Which the case was initially registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), it was later expanded to include provisions under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, the sources added.
