Lucknow: The family of the 13-year-old girl, who went missing while playing outside her house in Haidergarh town of Barabanki district on Friday, on Sunday claimed that an unknown person through a video call claimed to have kidnapped her.Police said the call originated from a number registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and investigations are underway.According to police and family members, the minor was playing outside her house in a local neighbourhood around 5 pm on Friday when she suddenly went missing under suspicious circumstances. When she did not return home for a long time, her family members searched nearby areas and contacted relatives and acquaintances but could not trace her.Subsequently, the family lodged a complaint with the Haidergarh police station, following which an FIR was registered.In an effort to locate the girl, the family circulated her photograph and details on social media, along with contact numbers, requesting anyone with information to come forward.The situation took a disturbing turn when one of the family members received a video call from an unknown number. According to the family, the caller briefly showed a girl on the screen and threatened to kill her if the family approached the police or pursued the case.However, the family said the girl’s face in the video call was not clearly visible, raising doubts about whether it was the missing minor.Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya said police teams are examining CCTV footage from the locality to trace the girl’s movements before she disappeared. A surveillance team has also been deployed to track the suspicious mobile numbers linked to the call.Police said all angles, including kidnapping and the possibility of a hoax call to mislead investigators, are being probed, and efforts are underway to locate the missing girl at the earliest.
