Pune man booked for kidnapping despite minor’s desire to live with accused

The person he is accused of kidnapping has remained constant in all four cases - a girl who wants to live with him.

A 25-year-old from Bhosari in Pimpri-Chinchwad, was arrested by the local police on Thursday, in a fourth case of kidnapping registered against him in the past four years.

The person he is accused of kidnapping has remained constant in all four cases - a girl who wants to live with him.

The man has been identified as Nitin Suryavan Ghorpade, a resident of Khandoba Mala, Bhosari, according to police.

This has happened due to an order of the Supreme Court in 2013, that mandates registration of FIR in every complaint of a minor missing in all states in the country. Every complaint of a minor person missing has since been registered as a case of kidnapping.

On Thursday, Ghorpade was arrested by officials of Bhosari MIDC police station in a case registered under Section 363 (kidnapping) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in March 2019, against him.

The first case was registered in 2017 when he was 22 and the girl was 15-years-old. Now, the girl is months away from adult status, but the man she claims to be in love with has a criminal record due to their relationship.

“The girl is now pursuing some education. Her parents are against their match and she is a minor. Every chance she gets, she goes to him willingly. But, her parents register a fresh complaint against him each time,” said senior police inspector Shankar Awtade.

“These two (accused and victim) are distant relatives and are members of the Pardhi community. The two are sure about being with each other, but the parents make these attempts to keep them away,” said police sub-inspector Pooja Kadam of the Bhosari police station.

The police officials of Bhosari MIDC, where the 2019 case against him is registered, brought the man to Bhosari police station on Thursday claiming that the alleged kidnapping had happened in their jurisdiction.

However, to the determined couple, the jurisdiction barely made any difference; the allegedly “kidnapped” girl walked into the police station next to her handcuffed partner.

They have done this thrice earlier - once each in 2017 and 2018 in Bhosari police station, and once in Majalgaon police station in Beed in 2018.

“She was visiting her grandparents in Beed when she called him there and they decided to take off. They were found - he was sent to jail and she was sent back to her parents,” said PI Awtade.

While it is unclear whether the couple will be back together, the police are looking forward to the day when the girl turns 18 and the series of cases can be stopped.