Migrant youth apprehended in Thrissur; eloped a week ago with minor friend met on Facebook

Thrissur: The police have apprehended a man from Chhattisgarh who 'kidnapped' a 16-year-old girl from the custody of child welfare officers at Thrissur railway station on Thursday morning. The girl was also taken into custody along with a 20-year-old boy Deepak Kumar. A home guard who noticed the duo near Puthukkad junction here informed the police station. They have been taken to the police station.

The duo arrived at Thrissur railway station on Wednesday night by Kerala Express. Childline workers intervened when they noticed something suspicious surrounding the duo. Though the man had an ID card with him,  the girl did not have any.

The officers have reached out to the girl's parents, who reported her as missing five days ago. They met through Facebook and eloped, said the parents. The officers decided to present her before the Child Welfare Committee on Thursday morning. 

However, the man, who was asked to wait outside the room, entered the childline office when he got an opportunity to escape. He threatened the staff with a broken beer bottle. One official was injured. The incident happened near the Railway Protection Force (RPF) office. Police have been searching for the duo since then.