The young Briton is understood to have been forcibly taken by car from the city of Albufeira and driven to an isolated spot in Silves where, among other things, she had her head shaved and was slashed.


The incident happened several weeks ago, sometime at the end of May, when the teen was abducted from the city of Albufeira after being forced into a car.


She was then driven around 15 kilometres to an isolated spot understood to be near Alcantarilha train station, in the neighbouring municipality of Silves, and subjected to a terrifying ordeal before being left in the middle of the countryside.


In a statement sent to The Portugal News on Monday evening the PJ said the unnamed British woman had her “hair shaved, was slashed with a sharp object and had her clothes torn before being left half-naked in the Silves area.”


A spokesperson for the PJ’s southern Faro branch said it was not clear whether the teen was resident or on holiday in Portugal, but confirmed she has since returned to the UK.


In its statement the PJ announced the arrest of two Portuguese nationals, a 19-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, following “strong evidence that they were involved in the crimes of kidnapping and intent to cause bodily harm”.


A comment from the British Embassy confirmed “an incident involving a British national, which occurred in the Algarve on 26 May”, and said it had “provided consular assistance to the British national and their family.”

Comments on an Algarve-focussed social media page seem to indicate that the teen was suspected of being in some way involved with another woman's partner and the ordeal could have been the result of a revenge attack.