‘Kidnapped’ Assam girl rescued in city, 1 nabbed

A minor girl from Assam, who was allegedly kidnapped by a 22-year-old man six months ago, was rescued by a team of central Delhi Police on Friday. HT reports.

A minor girl from Assam, who was allegedly kidnapped by a 22-year-old man six months ago, was rescued by a team of central Delhi Police on Friday.

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The accused, identified as Mintu Saikia, has been arrested. He had allegedly confined the girl at a flat in Noida and had demanded Rs1 lakh from her parents for her safe release.

The girl is reportedly the daughter of a senior police officer in Assam. Initially, the police had suspected it to be a case of elopement as the victim had not contacted her parents for more than five months. The case was taken up for investigation by the central Delhi Police after a senior officer from the Assam Police approached them, saying that the victim was staying in Delhi.

Devesh Chandra Srivastava, ACP (central), said Saikia, a resident of Assam’s Sonitpur district, was arrested from New Delhi railway station when he along with the girl was about to board a train. Saikia, who met the girl during the All Assam Dance Competition at Jorhat in Assam, had allegedly kidnapped her on August 5, 2011.

Police learnt that the girl’s parents suspected Saikia, who was also missing from the day she went missing, a senior police official said.

“On January 17, girl's mother received a call from a man, who identified himself as Mintu Saikia. Saikia made the girl talk to her mother. In the first conversation, it was learnt that the victim was confined in a room and not allowed to talk to anyone. In the second conversation, the accused demanded Rs 1 lakh from the victim's mother,” said Srivastva.