Nagpur: A 16-year-old girl, who vanished from her home in September 2023, was found after 642 days by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Nagpur police. In a dramatic turn, the girl was found in Butibori, not only married to the boy (now 24-year-old) she eloped with, but also mother to a six-month-old child.The girl, a Class X student when she disappeared, had fallen in love with a labourer working near her residence in the MIDC area. Her family came to know about their relationship and was planning to shift her to a relative’s house to separate them. Fearing permanent separation, the couple eloped.“They first moved to Rajasthan, where the boy worked earlier, and stayed there for nearly one-and-a-half years and also got married. Later, they relocated to Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, the boy’s hometown,” said Senior PI Lalita Todase of AHTU. She added that a police team tracked them down to Jaunpur, but the couple coincidentally left the town the same morning the team reached.According to Todase, the girl frequently changed phone numbers and used multiple Instagram accounts to stay off the radar. “She was active on social media, which eventually helped us trace her location. After extensive surveillance, we finally tracked her to a rented house in Sukali village, Butibori,” she said.On Saturday, AHTU officers raided the house and found the girl living with the boy and their infant son. She was immediately taken into protective custody, counselled, and later handed over to MIDC police for further action.PSI Santosh Khandekar, the investigating officer from MIDC police station, confirmed that a case was registered against the boy. “He has been detained, and a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act is being initiated, as the girl was a minor at the time of abduction and marriage,” he said. Police officials added that the girl is currently staying at a govt hostel along with her infant son, as her family has refused to take her back.The operation was carried out under the leadership of DCP (Detection) Rahul Maknikar, and Additional Police Commissioner Abhijit Patil. Police say the case highlights the need for vigilant monitoring of missing minors, especially in cases where romantic exploitation or trafficking may be involved.
