Malappuram: Tanur police on Saturday arrested Alungal Akbar Rahim, a native of Edavanna, Malappuram, in connection with the missing of two Plus Two students. He was charged with kidnapping and stalking minors. After a medical test, he was produced before the magistrate and remanded into judicial custody.

The girls, who had gone missing on Wednesday, were traced to Mumbai and brought back to Malappuram along with Rahim on Saturday. He was taken into custody upon arrival, and the arrest was recorded after an extensive interrogation led by Tanur DySP P Pramod.

Rahim, who has business ties in Mumbai and is involved in the clothing trade, claimed he accompanied the girls at their insistence. His family had earlier stated that he had met one of them through Instagram, where she confided in him about issues at home. They asserted that he initially discouraged her from running away but eventually decided to go with them.

On Wednesday, the girls told their families they were heading for their Plus Two examination but never attended the test. Teachers noticed their absence and informed their parents, prompting a missing person complaint.

Police tracked them using CCTV footage and mobile tower data linked to Rahim. With assistance from the Railway Protection Force, Maharashtra Police, and the local Malayali Association, officers located them within 36 hours. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) intercepted the girls near Lonavala railway station while travelling on the Chennai Egmore Express.

A team from Tanur police took them into custody on Friday and returned them to Tirur on Saturday by the Garib Rath Express.

The girls were then taken to the child-friendly centre at Tirur police station, where their statements were recorded. They then underwent medical examinations at Tirur District Hospital before giving confidential statements at the magistrate’s residence. Following this, they were presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and placed in a CWC-supervised care home for further support and rehabilitation.