Man stopped for flouting lockdown norms, kidnaps cop in his car, arrested

A 21-year-old student of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Sewri has been arrested by the police as he allegedly kidnapped a policeman in his car after he was stopped at a nakabandi for not wearing a mask and stepping out of home unnecessarily during the lockdown

A 21-year-old student of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Sewri has been arrested by the police as he allegedly kidnapped a policeman in his car after he was stopped at a nakabandi for not wearing a mask and stepping out of home unnecessarily during the lockdown.

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The incident took place when the student, Cyrus Saldhana, had stepped out in the wee hours of Monday and was returning home.

The police stopped his car during the nakabandi at the Milan Junction on the freeway as he was not wearing a mask. When constable Kundansingh Thakar, 41, asked him why has he ventured out during lockdown, Saldhana could not give a satisfactory answer.

Following this, the police decided to take action against him. Thakar sat in his car and asked him to drive the vehicle to the police station.

“The accused instead of driving the vehicle to Govandi police station took the freeway bridge and stopped the car only near Wadala station, covering a distance of almost 8 kilometres. Thakar informed his colleague and Saldhana was arrested on charges of kidnapping,” said Balasaheb Kedare, senior inspector of Govandi police station.

The police have booked Saldhana under sections 365 (kidnapping a person with intent to cause that person to be secretly and wrongfully confined), 353 (obstructing public servant from discharging his duty) 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code. Saldhana was produced before a court and remanded in magistrate custody, said Kedare.