UP youth arrested for ‘kidnapping’ minor girl from another community found dead in pond

Police said the SHO of the police station concerned, where the incident took place, has been suspended and an inquiry ordered into the matter.

Assistant Police Superintendent (ASP), Bhadohi, Shubham Agrawal told The Indian Express he has been conducting the inquiry and the man’s father has been asked to give a complaint. The father is a homeguard constable.

ASP Agrawal said a case had been lodged against the 20-year-old on charges of abduction of the girl, with intention of luring her into marriage, 20 days ago. Police recovered the girl from Bhadohi on Thursday; she was produced before the court and her statement was recorded. She was later sent to a protection home, he added.

The ASP further said the youth was arrested two days ago. As it was the weekend, he was placed in custody and was to be produced in court on Monday.

Around 4.30 am on Saturday, the youth told the constable on duty he wanted to go to the washroom. While he was being taken to the washroom on the premises, he allegedly pushed the policeman and ran away. The police team looked everywhere but failed to trace him, Agrawal said.

He said that on Saturday around 10 pm, a team from another police station a few kilometres away was patrolling when they spotted some items — a wallet and a belt — and a note kept near a pond at a temple in the vicinity.

Suspecting it belonged to the runaway man, they informed the other police station and a search was launched. Police managed to recover the youth’s body from the pond at 7 am on Sunday, the ASP said.

No injury marks were found on the body and the cause of death is suspected to be drowning, police said.

ASP Agrawal said the four-page note was a suicide note left by the youth, holding the girl and her family responsible for him ending his life. The note stated that the girl was allegedly lying that he lured her and that she had gone with him of her own accord, the ASP added.

The youth’s brother, however, alleged that he did not commit suicide and the handwriting in the note was not his. He alleged that the girl’s family had threatened to destroy his brother and the police have not taken any action yet.