Bhubaneswar, Nov. 9: A 12-year old school girl, who had been missing from her Surya Nagar residence since July, returned home last night. She claimed that she had been kidnapped.

The Class VII student alleged she had been kidnapped by one Goutam Banerjee, who stayed with his wife and two daughters at Mousimaa in Puri. She said that she was made to do household chores.

She alleged the family members initially did not let her leave the house. “But for the past 10 days, they were sending me out to pluck flowers early in the morning. Yesterday, I escaped and took a bus to Bhubaneswar,” she said.

The girl said she was kidnapped on July 11. She claimed a man riding a two-wheeler accosted her and forced her to accompany him. He also threatened to kill her father, she alleged. “The man accosted when I was going to my tuition class. He said he would take me to my father whom he was holding hostage. I believed him and sat on his motorcycle. Then he took me to Puri,” she said.

Her family members, who lodged a missing complaint with the police the same day, found her school bag near a temple in Surya Nagar. They alleged the cops did not seem to take the case seriously, so they apporached the State Human Rights Commission.

The victim said her kidnapper hid her identity from his neighbours and had even taken her to Calcutta once. “His family members used to beat me up,” she said pointing at injury marks on her body.

The girl and her family today met the chairperson of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Saraswati Hembram. “We gave her the details and sought action against the kidnapper. However, the chairperson did not show much interest,” said the victim’s mother.

The family members also approached the Mahila police. “We will try to arrest the accused,” said a senior police.