Rae Bareli police cracked a kidnapping case involving a 16-year-old girl within eight hours on Wednesday, rescuing her safely from a hotel in the Unchahar area and arresting two accused. One of them, identified as Sahil Maurya, had known the girl for the past one-and-a-half years, officials said.
The incident came to light in Bela Gusisi village under Bhadokhar police station limits after advocate Niranjan Kumar Pal reported that his daughter had gone missing from their home. According to the complaint, the teenager was alone at home when the incident occurred. Her younger brother returned from school around 1 pm and informed their mother that his sister was not at home. The family immediately alerted Dial-112 and began searching for her.
The situation turned alarming when the family received an Instagram message on the mother’s account containing a photograph of the girl tied to a chair and appearing unconscious. The sender threatened that her body would be found in the Sai river the next day. Later in the evening, a formal complaint was lodged at Bhadokhar police station.
Acting swiftly, police teams traced the girl to a hotel and rescued her unharmed. Superintendent of Police Dr. Yashveer Singh said both Sahil and his associate have been arrested, and further investigation is underway, including the motive behind posting the threatening photo online.
The girl’s family expressed gratitude to the police for their prompt response, while members of the Rae Bareli Central Bar honoured the SP with a shawl and bouquet for the successful operation.