Police warn Illinois girl who ran away to avoid arranged marriage could become victim of honour killing



Police have warned that a missing 16-year-old girl from Illinois who ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage could become the victim of an ‘honour killing’.

Zaineb Chaudhary has not been seen since March 11 when she attended classes at school in Skokie, Illinois.

According to police, Zaineb’s father had visited his native Pakistan in October to arrange a marriage for his daughter.

Missing: Zaineb Chaudhary, 16, has not been seen since March 11 when she attended classes at school in Skokie, Illinois

‘He has stated that he was there, looking for marriage arrangement for his daughter,’ Tammy Jacobsen of the Skokie Police Department told local station Fox Chicago.

Police are now warning that the girl’s disappearance could be viewed as a ‘disgrace’ by her family and say that they want to protect her from any possible ‘honour crime’.

Police believe she may have been living a double life at home and at school.

Ms Jacobsen said: ‘We have a girl, raised here in the United States, being raised here in a different culture than where her parents are from, trying to accept the Western ways here.

‘Any resources we have, we will reach out to help her with that, that she has no fear of coming home.

Warning: Police have said that the girl's disappearance could be viewed as a 'disgrace' and say that they want to protect her from a possible 'honour crime'

Family: Flanked by her mother and father, Zaineb Chaudhary's sister made an appeal. Police said the girl's father had been to Pakistan to arrange a marriage

‘Anything that may have happened in the household, she can come to us and we're going to make sure that she's taken care of and that she can feel safe while returning or contact us.’

Police believe the girl may have posed as a 19-year-old on a social networking site so that she could escape to El Monte, California with a 39-year-old man she met online.

Officers said they have interviewed the man.

Zaineb's 13-year-old sister has issued a plea for her safe return. She said: ‘I just want her to know that she can come home and we're not going to like hurt her or anything because we just want her to be happy and we want her to be safe.

Plea: In a television appeal, Zaineb's 13-year-old sister said, 'I just want her to know that she can come home and we're not going to like hurt her or anything'

Escape: The girl may have posed as a 19-year-old on a social networking site so that she could escape to California with a 39-year-old man she met online

‘Maybe you're safe, maybe you're not. We just want to know that you're happy, safe, so just let us know that you're still ok.’

Police are appealing for anyone with information on Zaineb Chaudhary's whereabouts to come forward.