Woman’s alleged abduction takes dramatic twist, marries lover

PTI, Dec 21, 2022, 9:14 AM IST

Hyderabad: The alleged kidnap case of an 18-year-old woman by four people in a car in Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana on Tuesday took a dramatic twist. A video of her saying she was not abducted and that she went on her own to marry her lover has gone viral.

The alleged kidnapping took place in Moodepalle village in Chandurthi Mandal of the district at around 5.30 AM when the woman, who is a college student, and her father were proceeding to a temple, police said.

A CCTV camera in the vicinity caught the moment the alleged abductors forcibly took the woman in their car and sped away.

In the video telecast by local TV channels, the girl’s father was seen making a vain bid to rescue her.

Later, a complaint was lodged with the police by the victim’s father alleging that he was beaten up by the accused before his daughter was kidnapped. Based on the complaint, a case under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) was registered and the police formed special teams to catch the accused and to rescue the woman, a senior police official said.

Two of them were caught during the course of the investigation, police said. However, by afternoon, a video of the woman went viral on social media, in which she stated that she was not kidnapped and that she herself called her lover, aged around 24, to take her away. They went to a temple in Jagital district, around 50 km from their village, and got married.

In the video, the woman, along with her lover, was seen in wedding attire, and she said both were in love for the last four years. The woman said her parents were planning to marry her to another person, following which she called her lover to take her away.

The woman said as the person (her lover) was wearing a mask (while she was being “forcibly” taken in the car), she was unable to recognise him, but after identifying him she went along with him. She sought protection from the police.

Around 10 months ago, the woman, who was then a minor, had eloped with her lover and both had married at that time. But, as she was a minor then, a POCSO case was registered against the man and both of them were counselled by the police and she was handed over to her parents, the police said.

The woman said her parents had lodged a complaint against her lover then as they did not approve of the marriage as her lover belonged to another caste.

Asked if the kidnapping case would now be closed, the official said, “The woman has informed that she is coming to DSP office. We will record the woman’s statement in front of a Magistrate and will proceed further.”