7 arrested by Ludhiana police for abducting 35-yr-old man

According to police, the victim, identified as Ram Dayal, 35, a street food vendor from Surjeet Singh Nagar in Sahnewal, was abducted around 9 pm on Monday and held captive until police rescued him around midnight from Pakhar Colony

A man was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted by a family of an 18-year-old girl for serving as a witness to the court marriage of the girl and his friend. The girl had eloped and married the man of her choice.

Victim was allegedly kidnapped by the family of an 18-year-old girl for serving as a witness to the court marriage of the girl and his friend. (HT Photo)

According to police, the witness, identified as Ram Dayal, 35, a street food vendor from Surjeet Singh Nagar in Sahnewal, was abducted around 9 pm on Monday and held captive until police rescued him around midnight from Pakhar Colony.

Following the incident, the Daba police registered a case against 12 accused and arrested seven of them. The arrested have been identified as Naresh Kumar, his brother Sandeep Kumar, Pushpa (mother of the girl) — all residents of Guru Ramdas Colony in Daba — and their relatives Amarnath and Varun from Patiala, as well as Jatinder Kumar and Pramod Kumar of Gurmeet Nagar, Ludhiana.

The police have also named Suresh Kumar (the girl’s father), Mani Khachhar, Surinder, and two unidentified persons in the FIR. The case was registered under Section 140(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of Ramesh Kumar, Ram Dayal’s brother.

Assistant commissioner of police (Industrial Area-B) Satwinder Singh Virk said that swift police action led to the rescue of the victim within three hours of receiving the complaint. He said, “The girl married her lover on Sunday in a court ceremony, with Ram Dayal acting as a witness. When her family discovered the marriage and failed to trace the couple, they located Ram Dayal and abducted him, taking him to Pakhar Colony where he was beaten.”

Inspector Gurdial Singh, station house officer at Daba police station said the primary accused is the girl’s father, Suresh Rajput, who is currently absconding. His wife Pushpa is among those arrested. Other accused are relatives and acquaintances who allegedly took part in the abduction and assault.

A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused.