JAUNPUR police have arrested a 22-year-old man after he reached a local court on Saturday along with a 17-year-old girl, who, although she was wearing a burqa, belongs to a different community. Police said the man was wanted for allegedly kidnapping the same girl and had come to the court with the intention of marrying her. A video of the incident surfaced on social media that purportedly shows the couple surrounded by a crowd near the court. People in the crowd are seen questioning them about their identities and religion. When the girl removed her burqa, she was seen wearing sindoor (traditional vermilion often worn by married Hindu women) on her forehead. The youth, however, claimed that they were married and had come to the court for a court marriage. The police were informed and a team reached the spot. Police brought the youth to the police station and during questioning, found that a case was registered against him. Circle Officer Ajeet Singh Chauhan said the man was produced before a local court, which sent him to judicial custody. According to the police, on August 29, the girl's father filed a complaint against the youth for kidnapping his minor daughter. The girl had gone to the market to buy goods and did not return home, prompting her parents to search for her. Subsequently, her father filed an FIR against the youth.
