Chandigarh Police have rescued a 17-year-old girl belonging to Balongi from near the Nepal border and apprehended a boy, also aged 17, who is accused of kidnapping her.
The boy, who belongs to Nepal and is a school dropout, was taking her across the border to get married, said police. This is sixth such case of elopement of minors reported in Chandigarh this year. According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, 19 girls were kidnapped to compel them for marriage in Chandigarh in 2020.
The complaint was lodged by the girl’s father after she didn’t return from school on September 13. According to police, both teenagers used to study in the same school before the boy dropped out. The two had boarded a bus from Sector 17, Chandigarh, and reached Uttar Pradesh, from where they planned to enter Nepal.
The girl did not carry her mobile phone while the juvenile was carrying one, but switched it off to avoid being traced. Police got information about the teenagers being spotted near the Nepal border, after which teams were dispatched to bring them back to the city.
They were traced to Siddharth Nagar near the Nepal border, where they were staying in a lodge waiting for a chance to cross over. The girl was handed over to her parents while the boy has been sent to the juvenile home. He has been booked under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code. The girl has refused to get her medical examination done.
“Children have been locked inside their houses owing to Covid-19 and they do not have anyone to guide them at this tender age, which is leading to such cases where minors are eloping,” said Sangeeta Jund, project director, Childline.
{{/usCountry}}“Children have been locked inside their houses owing to Covid-19 and they do not have anyone to guide them at this tender age, which is leading to such cases where minors are eloping,” said Sangeeta Jund, project director, Childline.
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