The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Man held for ‘ kidnapping’ woman, her kin booked for vandalisin­g his home

TENSION GRIPPED a village in Bareilly after the family members of a 20- year- old woman who had allegedly eloped with a man belonging to a different community a few days ago allegedly barged into and vandalised the man’s residence Friday night, police said Saturday. The woman’s family members alleged the man had kidnapped the woman, police said.

The group also targeted a police vehicle, alleging “delay” in the man’s arrest. The Bareilly police said they detained and then arrested the 21- year- old on charges of kidnapping the woman on the basis of her family’s allegation­s.

The incident occurred after the woman was traced by the police and handed over to her parents Thursday, officers said. The suspects pelted stones, forcibly entered the man’s house, damaged furniture and set things on fire before fleeing, they said. The man and his family members fled upon spotting the group, police said. The mob also damaged a nearby grocery store run by the man and his family.

An FIR has been lodged against 22 named persons, including the woman’s family members, and 40 unidentifi­ed persons in connection with the incident. No arrest has been made yet, said a senior police officer.

SSP, Bareilly, Anurag Arya, suspended three policemen, including the SHO of police station concerned, on charges of negligence and for failing to register an FIR in a timely manner.

“The man was in police custody but rumours spread that the police were shielding him. The villagers targeted his house, a shop and also attacked some policemen,” Arya said. According to police, on July 29, the woman’s father filed a complaint alleging a neighbouri­ng youth was involved in his daughter's “disappeara­nce”.