Kolkata, 10 September (H.S.) : A Class 11 student from Howrah, who was allegedly lured through Instagram and abducted, was rescued from a hotel in the New Market area of Kolkata within three days of a complaint being lodged. The abductors had allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 3 lakh from her family and threatened to kill her if the money was not paid.

The girl, a resident of Jagatballavpur, was allegedly lured by cyber criminals with promises of being taken abroad for education and employment. According to police sources, she left home on September 7 on the pretext of going to school and travelled to Kolkata. She was carrying her Aadhaar card and other identity documents.

Soon after, her family received a phone call demanding Rs 3 lakh as ransom. The family subsequently informed Jagatballavpur Police Station, following which an investigation was launched.

During the investigation, police learnt that the girl had borrowed some money from her friends and travelled by bus to Dharmatala. She later checked into a hotel in the New Market area. Police suspect that she was kept confined in a room that had allegedly been booked in advance.

Investigators tracked the mobile phones of the girl and the suspected cyber criminals and traced her location to the hotel. A police team conducted a raid there on Wednesday night and rescued the girl. However, none of the suspected abductors could be arrested from the spot.

Howrah Rural Superintendent of Police Amit Verma said, “The girl has been rescued. An investigation is underway to identify those behind the incident.”

Investigators suspect that the alleged abductors are linked to an interstate criminal network operating mainly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Police have started collecting information about the suspected members of the network.

A case has been registered under several sections relating to abduction, ransom demands and threats to kill. The girl is scheduled to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Thursday.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh