On July 2, the girl's father had complained to Patlikuhal police station (Representational)

A minor girl who was kidnapped over two weeks ago was found dead in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district on Thursday and a man she was friends with has been arrested in this connection, police said.

Sonu Ram, 21, of Nashala village, has been arrested for her kidnapping and killing, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said.

"Whether the 17-year-old girl was raped or not before murder will be known after getting the autopsy report," the SP told PTI.

During interrogation, the accused admitted that he killed the girl, Mr Singh added.

On July 2, the girl's father had complained to Patlikuhal police station that his daughter had been missing for two days, following which a complaint was registered.

A police team established the link between the victim and the accused after analysing the details of the mobile phone being used by the girl, he added.

Subsequently, the accused was arrested.

The SP said initially, the accused accepted he was in touch with the girl, but later tried to mislead police, saying, "I am not in contact with her now and she may have run away."

During search, the girl's sandal was found on the bank of the Beas river and cosmetic items were found in the bushes nearby, Singh said, adding the man and the girl had been there. The entire area was searched and the body was recovered Thursday, he added.

Subsequently, the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code has been added in the already registered complaint.

The girl's postmortem will be conducted tomorrow, he added.