Fears grow for teenager not seen for five weeks as man, 26, is arrested on suspicion of child abduction
Schoolgirl Veronica Sbircea is not using social media and police “remain desperately concerned for her safety”
FEARS are growing for a vulnerable 15-year-old girl who has been missing for five weeks as a 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of child abduction.
Veronica Sbircea, who also uses the name Rachel, was last seen on July 28 and police say they are “desperately concerned for her safety”.
The schoolgirl has not used social media since her disappearance and has no access to money.
A 26-year-old man from Romford, Essex, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of child abduction. He was later released on bail until next month.
Veronica, who is from Kettering, Northamptonshire, is known to have used public transport on a number of occasions in the 24 hours before the last sighting of her.
But there has been no identifiable movement since.
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Detective Superintendent Elliot Foskett, who is heading the police investigation into her disappearance, today made a fresh appeal to the public.
He said: "It's now almost a month since there was a confirmed sighting of Veronica and we remain desperately concerned for her safety.
"Like many teenage girls, Veronica is an avid user of social media networks like Facebook and Snapchat, but her family and friends have not had any contact since July 28. In addition, we know she has no access to money and no way of earning an income.
"Once again, we're saying to the public: If you were in the Brixton Road area of south London at about 5.15pm on Thursday, July 28, we'd ask you to just think again as to whether you might have seen her.
"Veronica has been known to approach people asking to borrow their phone. You may have had such an approach and turned it away, but if you did, please let us know.
"This is a very vulnerable young girl and we are becoming more concerned by the day about her safety.
"We have made extensive inquiries in London and that process is ongoing. We have also made arrests as part of our investigation, but although we're still unable to trace her, we remain absolutely determined to do so."
Veronica is white, 5ft, with long straight black hair and brown eyes. Originally from the London area, she attended Kingsmead School in Southbury Road, Enfield.
Detectives have spent the past few days trawling through CCTV footage from at least 20 business premises in the Brixton Road area where Veronica was last seen.
Northamptonshire Police yesterday released what is believed to be a CCTV image of the last known sighting of her, taken in Brighton Terrace, Brixton, at about 5.15pm on the day she went missing.
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