Minor girl in Odisha rescued while trying to elope

ROURKELA: Lephripara police on Thursday rescued a minor girl while she was on way to Jharsuguda to elope with a youth working in Gujarat. 

The 16-year-old girl of Chhatenpali under Lephripara block in Sundarharh district was having an affair with the boy from the same village. The youth was employed in Gujarat. 

OIC of Lephripara police station Ranjit Pradhan said both the boy and the girl had planned to elope to Gujarat. As per the plan, the girl was supposed to meet the boy at Jharsuguda railway station. She left home without informing anyone in family on Thursday. 

Unable to trace her, the girl’s mother, who was aware of the affair, informed the police in the evening.

When police located the youth in his house, he confessed that they had plans to elope from Jharsuguda but was unaware of the girl’s present location. 

Incidentally, the girl called the youth from an auto-rickshaw driver’s phone while she was on way to Jharsuguda station. 

Police immediately called back on the same number and directed the three-wheeler driver to hand over the girl to Jharsuguda Sadar police. The girl was rescued at around 8 pm, the OIC added.