Police have located the schoolgirl abducted in Daulagala, Kandy on 11 January.

The schoolgirl, along with the primary suspect involved in the abduction, were found by the Police while they were boarded on a luxury bus that was scheduled to depart for Kandy near the Ampara bus stand last morning (13). However, the suspect has now been arrested and the interrogations of the girl and the suspect are underway. Police successfully apprehended Mohammed Nassar, a 31-year-old resident of Kahatapitiya in Gampola, who abducted an 18-year-old schoolgirl at Daulagala, Kandy on 11 January.

The abduction took place on the morning of 11 January in the Daulagala Police Division. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the primary suspect is a close relative –  the son of the girl’s father’s sister. Police said that the suspect abducted the girl following a disagreement over their proposed marriage. Initially, both families had consented to the union, but, the girl’s father later withdrew his approval, triggering the conflict, according to the Police.

The schoolgirl, a resident of Handessa, was abducted on the morning of 11 January while on her way to school with a friend.

The van used in the abduction was discovered abandoned in Polonnaruwa by local Police the same day. Subsequently, officers from Daulagala Police apprehended the van driver, a 30-year-old resident of Kahatapitiya, Gampola, in the Gampola area, on 12 January.

Police had traced the suspect’s location through the analysis of his mobile phone data, which revealed his presence in the Ampara Police Division. Acting on this information, five Police teams were deployed, leading to the suspect and the schoolgirl being taken into custody at around 9.30 a.m. yesterday. The investigations have revealed that the suspect and the girl had traveled from Polonnaruwa to Valaichchenai and then to Ampara in a three-wheeler, where they spent the night at a private accommodation. Police are arranging a medical examination for the abducted schoolgirl.

According to initial statements, the suspect claimed that the abduction stemmed from a family dispute. He has alleged that he had previously worked overseas in Japan for two years and provided money to the girl’s father –  his maternal uncle – but was not repaid. This disagreement, coupled with issues over their proposed marriage, reportedly led to the incident.

Accordingly, the youth had also demanded a ransom of Rs. 5 million from the girl’s father after the abduction cum kidnapping.