10-Year-Old Girl Runs Away with 16-Year-Old Boy She Met on Instagram in Gujarat

Gujarat (The Uttam Hindu): A 10-year-old girl from Gujarat’s Dhansura village eloped with a 16-year-old boy after meeting him on Instagram. The Class 5 student went missing on December 31, prompting her family to file a police complaint fearing abduction. Police traced the minors to a nearby village with the help of three friends who had facilitated their escape. Investigations revealed that the girl had been using her mother's phone to connect with the boy on Instagram and plan the elopement. Both minors have been sent to a juvenile home and a case has been registered.

The incident reflects the growing concerns around unsupervised social media use among minors. Last year, a 15-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh eloped with a 27-year-old man she met online and pressured her parents to arrange their marriage. Similarly, another minor girl in Nagpur eloped with an auto driver and later married him after turning 18.

Authorities have urged parents to closely monitor their children's online activities and educate them about the potential dangers of social media. These cases highlight the increasing challenges faced by families and law enforcement in addressing the misuse of digital platforms by minors.