JOIN USAn underage girl, who had eloped with her Facebook friend, has been traced to Alapuzha in Kerala. While the girl has been brought back to Mangalore, the boy has been booked for kidnap.
According to police, the girl, the daughter of a labourer from Capitanio locality here, had been missing since Saturday. She is said to have told her parents that she was in love with Jerry Francis, 18, and was going with him.
She had also threatened they would commit suicide if the parents went to police. The parents, however, approached the Mangalore Rural police and lodged a complaint on Sunday. On inquiry, police found that the girl had befriended Francis on Facebook around a year ago.
Both had been in regular touch over the phone. However, both of them switched off their phones after the girl eloped with Francis. A team of policemen led by inspector Rajesh tracked the mobile phone signals of the boy and the girl and traced them to Alapuzha. They went to Alapuzha and brought the girl back to Mangalore.
“A case of kidnapping has been registered against Francis. He has been remanded in judicial custody. He had failed in the class 10 examination and was working as a welder. “He is well-versed in computer and speaks fluent English. He had come to Mangalore on
Saturday and took the girl to Alapuzha. The girl has been subjected to medical examination and in case she is found to have been sexually assaulted, Francis will be booked for rape too,” a senior police officer said.