Woman arrested for kidnapping online friend

On Tuesday, the accused was arrested and sent to jail and the girl was handed over to her family members after a medical examination.Tabassum has told police that it was the girl who had called her from Bihar as a friend and she had taken her for a trip.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a teenage girl she had befriended on a social media platform four years ago, police said on Wednesday. The woman identified as Jova alias Tabassum Fatima had taken the girl whom she called her best friend to her residence in Bihar.

According to police, she lured the minor to accompany her after reaching her village in Gangwal in the Visheshwarganj police station area a few days ago.

The teen's father filed a complaint against Tabassum on March 16 following which a police team was sent to Bihar. The girl was recovered from Jova's possession with the help of Bihar Police and both of them were brought to Bahraich. On Tuesday, the accused was arrested and sent to jail and the girl was handed over to her family members after a medical examination.

Tabassum has told police that it was the girl who had called her from Bihar as a friend and she had taken her for a trip. Prima facie it does not appear to be a case of human trafficking but the police is probing all aspects of the matter seriously, he added.