‘Missing’ Swedish girl traced to social media friend in Mumbai

Photo for representational purpose

Notching a major investigation success, the Mumbai Police have traced a minor girl of Indian origin -- reported 'missing' from Sweden -- to her Instagram friend in Mumbai, officials said here on Saturday.

Following her rescue, with help from the Swedish Embassy in New Delhi, InterPol and other agencies, the Mumbai Police handed over the minor girl to her father and they flew down to Stockholm on Saturday.

Detailing the developments, Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) Milind Bharambe said that a missing complaint was lodged for the girl by her parents with the Skpepparbacken Police Station in Sweden on November 27.

Thereafter, an InterPol Yellow Notice was issued for the missing girl on December 4 which was monitored by the Mumbai Police.

After it came to light that the missing minor girl may be with her Instagram friend in Mumbai, a police team comprising officials Mangalsingh Chavan, Meera Deshmukh and others was formed.

With painstaking efforts they managed to track down the Instagram friend -- whose identity has not been disclosed -- and subjected him to sustained questioning.

He revealed the whereabouts of the girl -- she was staying at a downmarket locality of Subhash Nagar in the Cheetah Camp area of Chembur in north-east Mumbai.

However, it is not immediately clear how the minor girl managed to reach Mumbai from Sweden, her travel papers, whether she was kidnapped or lured and held captive in the city, how she came in touch with the so-called Instagram friend, etc.

The girl was taken into custody from the place, and after gentle questioning, she was sent to the Juvenile Home, Dongri, for caretaking, while crime branch and InterPol officer Yogesh Sabale relayed details of the rescue to the Swedish Embassy and InterPol, both in New Delhi.

The Swedish Embassy informed the happy tidings to the girl's father who immediately flew down to Mumbai on Friday (December 10) to take back his daughter who had been missing for a fortnight.

After completing all the local, national and international formalities, the father-daughter duo took a flight to Sweden earlier on Saturday, ending a massive ordeal for the family and the police.

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