A 14-year-old was kidnapped in the French city of Marseille. She was rescued via GPS tracking in the Snapchat app.
She had first run away from home and then been kidnapped. On Friday morning, the detained girl alerted her parents just as the kidnappers were asleep, reports say French media. The problem: the girl didn’t even know where she was.
GPS location via Snapchat
Her parents called the police. A young police officer came up with the saving idea, it is said: the instant messenger Snapchat! Using a GPS location on the app, officers were actually able to locate the building where the girl was trapped. Since it was a multi-storey building, the officers were now faced with the challenge of finding the right floor and apartment door. Problem: The apartment also contained the two alleged kidnappers and the girl was afraid to move or even turn on the light, reports France3.
Found the right door via message
Rudy Manna, von Syndicat Alliance Police Nationale in the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône explained to the French broadcaster BFMTVthat the girl stayed in touch with the officials via message chat. When she heard officers at the door, she wrote a simple “yes” to signal they were at the right door.
Suspected perpetrators caught after Snapchat rescue
Police took the two men into custody at the home. The girl is said to have been injured. French media reported that the girl had been raped several times. The girl is now back with her family, it is said.
Snapchat rescue: men deny the allegations
The arrested men are now under investigation. However, both deny having held the girl. The sex was also consensual and they did not know the girl’s age. According to French law, they would still have made themselves punishable: In France, consent to sexual practices cannot be given under the age of 15. Sexual acts by adults on children under this age threshold are punishable by law.
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