Kerala: Youths' honesty ensured safe return of teenage girl who left home

An 18-year old girl who left her home at Palakkad district in Kerala on Wednesday and boarded a train to Kochi city, around 130 kilometres away, returned safely in the hands of her parents with the help of two youths who noticed her in a hapless situation.

The youths, Vishnu, 22, and Sumin Krishnan, 20, who work as hotel workers in Palakkad, are showered with praises for their honesty, especially since incidents of women in vulnerable situations being lured by miscreants are quite rampant these days.

The duo had taken a leave and boarded a train to Kochi for a leisure trip to a shopping mall. They noticed the girl weeping and enquired about the reason. Reluctantly, the girl told them she left home owing to some differences with parents. Though her phone was ringing continuously she was not attending.

The youth persuaded her to get down at Kochi with them and they managed to get her phone and informed her parents. The parents were at the local police station in Palakkad by that time to report their daughter's missing. The Palakkad police officials advised the youths to take the girl to the nearby police station. Subsequently they took the girl to the Kalamasserry police station. The girl's parents reached the station by night and took the girl, the Kalamaserry police informed.

Assistant sub-inspector Aji Kuttappan, working with the police special branch unit, appreciated the youths for their honesty. As he realised that the youths missed their leisure trip, he rang up their employers and sought one more day leave for the two. He also arranged a stay for them in Kochi for Wednesday night.

Kuttappan said that the youth were quite busy throughout the day attending appreciation calls from various quarters.

Known businessman and philanthropist Kochouseph Chittilappilly was among those who appreciated the youths. "My heartfelt appreciation to these two youngsters for their most honourable act. Instead of taking advantage of a helpless girl, they ensured to get her to safety. What an example that all should emulate. The world would be a better and safer place with such youngsters around," he said in a social media post.