A 15-year-old girl who had been missing for nearly five months has been found living with her two-month-old baby inside a remote cave in the Knuckles mountain range, according to reports.
The girl was discovered in a forest area near Meemure following an investigation by Ududumbara Police.
Her family had reported her disappearance nearly five months ago, prompting police to launch an investigation.
During the investigation, officers became suspicious of a young man who was regularly purchasing unusually large quantities of rice and other food items from a local shop.
Police followed the man into a remote forest area, away from human settlements, where they discovered a cave covered with plastic sheets.
Inside the cave, officers found the missing 15-year-old girl and her two-month-old daughter.
Investigations revealed that the girl had reportedly given birth inside the cave without medical assistance.
Police said a sharp tool commonly used in the kithul industry had allegedly been used to cut the baby’s umbilical cord.
The mother and infant had reportedly been treated using traditional herbal remedies collected from the surrounding forest.
The 23-year-old man, believed to be the baby’s father, also reportedly told police that a large pan normally used for producing kithul treacle had been used to bathe the infant.
Police arrested the 23-year-old man and a relative who allegedly assisted him.
The two suspects were produced before the Teldeniya Magistrate’s Court and remanded until November 20, according to reports.
The girl and her baby were taken into police protection and subsequently referred to the National Hospital in Kandy for medical examination and treatment.
Ududumbara Police are conducting further investigations into the incident. (Newswire)
