Alipurduar: A 16-year-old girl who mysteriously disappeared from Alipurduar town was found within 48 hours along with a 17-year-old boy from Bihar. The duo was apprehended by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on Thursday afternoon while travelling on the Vande Bharat Express from Patna to New Delhi.
The arrest followed a complaint from the girl’s family, after which the district police shared their details with the RPF. A team from Alipurduar police is bringing them back on transit remand after presenting them in a Patna court.
According to police sources, the girl was missing since Tuesday night. She had met Chandan Kumar, the boy from Bihar, at a karate championship in Kolkata six months ago. Chandan, who claimed his father was a MLA in Bihar, grew close to her. The girl’s father, a retired BSF officer and her mother, a primary school teacher, had reportedly accepted their relationship and considered arranging their marriage. On March 13, the girl’s parents travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment, leaving their daughter, nine-year-old son and Chandan at home. Upon returning on Wednesday, they found their daughter missing, along with furniture, a refrigerator, a laptop, gold jewellery and cash. Their son informed them that Chandan had assaulted his sister before loading items into a tempo with several people and taking her away. The family then filed a police complaint.
However, police investigations suggest the girl’s disappearance may have been planned with her mother’s knowledge. Call records show the girl had contacted her mother from Patna station, saying she was heading to Delhi.
Officials are also skeptical about the alleged theft involving nine people. The mother is now under scrutiny as authorities verify the missing items’ whereabouts.
District Superintendent of Police Y Raghuvamshi stated: “With the help of Railway police, we found the missing teenagers. Further interrogation will reveal the full details.”