A 16 year old year girl could face criminal charges after she misled gardai with a false report of a kidnapping in Wexford Town. Her claim that two masked men had kidnapped 15-year-old Sait Canbullu eventually led to the issuing of a costly Child Rescue Alert.

The operation behind the nationwide CRI alert is believed to have cost the An Garda Síochána over €100,000, as it included search helicopters and the mobilisation of over 100 officers. Airports and ferry ports were also put on alert, as there were fears that his kidnappers would attempt to smuggle him out of the country.

It is understood that the An Garda Síochána decided to proceed with the alert, despite having doubts about the girl’s story. According to one source, her initial report contained a number of “inconsistencies”.

The gardai became extremely suspicious of her story when CCTV footage from the area failed to back it up.

On Sunday morning, the CRI was called off after a spokesperson from the An Garda Síochána announced that they no longer believed that Sait Canbullu had been kidnapped. Later that day, the missing teenager was found safe and well in County Sligo.

It is now believed that the girl in question could face criminal charges for knowingly providing the gardai with a false report.