A 32-year-old woman lured a teenaged boy into a romantic relationship only to take his help in kidnapping his 10-year-old cousin for ransom.

The idea was to murder the minor after extracting Rs 1 lakh in ransom.

Masauri police rescued the girl on Friday and arrested Veena Devi and the teenager from Kueriya village of Punpun in rural Patna.

Masauri police station house officer (SHO) Arun Kumar Akela told The Telegraph the girl was missing since Wednesday afternoon. "She studies at a school in Harbanspur village," the SHO said. "Her mother is a teacher in the same school. The day the girl went missing, her mother was home. Veena and her cousin brother approached the girl at school and asked her to accompany them. Since the minor knew them well, she went along. The two took her to a secluded place in Punpun where she was confined. When the girl did not return home till late in the evening, her mother and other residents started looking for her. Late in the night, the mother lodged an FIR."

The police said they suspected Veena's involvement on learning she too had gone missing the same day. "Their houses are a few metres apart and, it emerged, Veena was a good friend of the girl's mother. The two chatted a lot," the officer said. "Investigations showed Veena had gone missing the same day without telling her parents anything. From that night onward, the girl's mother started receiving ransom calls seeking Rs 1 lakh for her daughter's safe release. The police began tracking the cellphone from which the ransom calls were made and located its tower near Kueriya village of Punpun. A team raided the village and found the girl with the duo."

Police sources said Veena had planned the kidnap carefully. "The woman had plotted well, executing the crime only after developing proximity with the minor's cousin brother, who lives in the same village," another police officer said. "Being a teenager, the boy fell for Veena's charms and agreed to help her in the crime. The police suspect Veena knew the girl's mother could not have paid much, thus the small ransom amount sought."