Parents held over daughter 'kidnap'

The parents of missing 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed were arrested today on suspicion of kidnapping her.

The A-level student from Warrington in Cheshire vanished on 11 September, unhappy about the possibility of an arranged marriage.

She had recently returned from Pakistan where she was introduced to a potential suitor. Friends claim she did not want to go ahead with the arrangement and in an apparent cry for help drank bleach, causing serious internal damage.

Born and raised in Britain, Shafilea had ambitions to become a lawyer. But her "Westernised" lifestyle brought her into conflict with her Pakistani-born parents, Iftikhar, a taxi driver and Farzana, a housewife. They wanted her to embrace their strict Muslim culture.

In a bid to trace Shafilea, detectives released song lyrics she had written which spoke of her unhappy home life and how she was torn between British and Asian cultures. Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati read out the lyrics and appealed for her return. However, police now believe Shafilea is dead.

Earlier this month her father complained he was being used as a "scapegoat" by police and said: "I love my daughter. Why would I ever want to do anything to hurt her?" None of Shafilea's belongings are believed to be missing, her bank accounts remain untouched and her British and Pakistani passports were left at home.

Cheshire police confirmed she was still missing and that her parents were in custody helping with inquiries.