Kasaragod: Two youths have been arrested for allegedly taking two schoolgirls, aged 14 and 16, from Kanhangad to a lodge in Ullal near Mangaluru and sexually assaulting them.

The Hosdurg police arrested Rizwan (23) and Muhammad Saad (19), both natives of Manjeshwar. They have been charged under Sections 3 and 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Hosdurg Station House Officer - Inspector K Dinesan said the girls met the accused on Snapchat three days before the incident. The two youths allegedly travelled to Kanhangad in a car and picked up the girls from near their homes on Sunday, August 17.

The girls told their families that they were going to visit friends. When they did not return home by evening, their families became concerned and approached the police.

The police tracked the girls using mobile phone tower locations and found that they had travelled to Ullal, near the Karnataka-Kerala border on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

According to police, the young men had checked into a lodge in Ullal with the girls. The accused were subsequently arrested. Police registered the case based on the girls' statements.