Rajasthan: Man steals to pay panchayat fine and live with lover, she elopes with another

A year ago, he fell in love with a woman who eloped with him and came to live at his place. But her family demanded Rs 40,000 as fine.

The Shakespearean elements of romance, tragedy and comedy all found their way into the life of 22-year-old Ramesh from Udaipur.

The jilted lover narrated his story to the police during interrogation. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A year ago, he fell in love with a woman who eloped with him and came to live at his place. Upset with the development, the woman’s family called a panchayat (village council) and a fine of Rs 40,000 was imposed on Ramesh.

The amount was to be paid to assuage the anger of the woman’s family, so that Ramesh would be with her again. Keen on the reunion, he resorted to stealing motorbikes. By the time he saved money to pay the fine, the woman had eloped with somebody else.

The tragedy for the jilted lover did not end. Late on Friday evening last week, Ramesh, along with two accomplices, was caught by the police at a check post. He narrated his story to the police during interrogation.

“He told us that he started stealing so that he could pay the fine imposed on him. One of his associates, Thawar, is a notorious thief,” said Sanjeev Swami, SHO of Hiranmagri police station in Udaipur.

While Ramesh and Thawar would steal the bikes, the third accused, Premchand, a mechanic, would disintegrate the vehicle and sell the parts separately. The three were presented in the local court and are now in police custody.