Bikaner IGP Om Prakash told TOI that police teams assigned to look for the missing teenager and her alleged partner stayed in various cities over the last week before landing in Chennai. The girl will be brought to her hometown and her statement recorded before the police press charges, if any, on the teacher accused of kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and forced marriage.
The parents of the Class 12 girl reported her missing on July 1, a day after she left for school at 7.30am and didn’t return. Besides the teacher, the FIR names her two brothers as conspirators in the alleged crime.
Sources said the family of the teacher, too, had filed a “missing person report” at the same police station on the day the girl’s parents filed the complaint. Several right-wing organisations claimed the alleged interfaith relationship was a case of “love jihad”.
SP: Team in Chennai to bring back girl, teacher
The emergence of the video purpor tedly showing the duo declaring they were in a relationship and wanted to spend their lives together stoked protests, including a market shutdown.
BJP MLA Rajendra Rathore backed the protesters, alleging that the police wer e trying to hush up the suspected kidnapping of a minor.
“I want to know which agency active in Rajasthan is responsible for abducting our daughters and sisters, converting them, and attacking our culture. We will ask the same q uestion in the assembly,” he said.
SP Tejaswani Gautam said a team had reached Chennai to bring the teenager and the teacher back to Bikaner.
