Ludhiana: Woman kidnapped, assaulted by estranged husband, 2 sons

Police have registered an FIR against Pandit Vivek Acharya, his sons Himanshu and Devdatt, along with Satinder Rajbar and Gopal Krishan Khurana, all residents of Star City Colony on Tibba Road

A 43-year-old woman living separately from her husband was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted, and threatened by her estranged husband and his relatives over a property dispute.

The victim has been identified as Suman, and the case was filed on the complaint of her brother-in-law, Hanuman Prasad. (HT Photo)

Police have registered an FIR against Pandit Vivek Acharya, his sons Himanshu and Devdatt, along with Satinder Rajbar and Gopal Krishan Khurana, all residents of Star City Colony on Tibba Road. The victim has been identified as Suman, and the case was filed on the complaint of her brother-in-law, Hanuman Prasad.

According to police, the incident took place on July 26 while Suman, her sister, and Hanuman Prasad were returning home from a friend’s place on Tibba Road. Suddenly, Vivek Acharya, accompanied by his sons and aides in a Mahindra Scorpio, intercepted their way. The group confronted Suman, and when the others tried to intervene, the accused snatched their mobile phones and forced all three into the vehicle.

The ordeal didn’t end there. Hanuman Prasad reported that he and his wife were dropped off near a private hospital on Chandigarh Road, while Suman was taken to a house in Star City Colony. There, she alleges, her husband and his associates physically assaulted her, tore her clothes, and threatened her against reporting the incident to anyone. Hours later, Suman managed to return home and explain everything to her family.

Hanuman Prasad revealed that despite informing the police immediately, no action was initially taken. “We had to approach senior police officials to get the FIR registered,” he said, alleging that some officers pressured the family to reach a compromise instead of pursuing the case.

Sub-inspector Jaspal Singh, SHO at Tibba Police Station, admitted that because the dispute involved family members, the police conducted preliminary inquiries before lodging an FIR under sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 190 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of BNS . “There was no pressure from the police on the family. The case has now been registered and the accused will be arrested soon,” he said.