In a bizarre incident, a 36-year-old woman from Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh allegedly left her husband and six children to run away with a beggar. Raju, the husband, has filed a police complaint under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is related to the abduction of women. The police have traced the woman and are investigating the matter.
Raju, 45, lives in the Harpalpur area of Hardoi with his wife, Rajeshwari, and their children. He said that a local beggar, Nanhe Pandit, frequently came to the locality and regularly conversed with Rajeshwari, sometimes even talking to her over the phone.
Raju said on January 3 around 2 pm, Rajeshwari told their daughter Khushboo that she was going to the market to buy clothes and vegetables. She never returned. Raju searched for her but could not find her. He suspects that Rajeshwari eloped with the money he earned from selling a buffalo and that Nanhe Pandit is also involved in her disappearance.
A case has been registered and the police are now actively looking for Nanhe Pandit. Senior police officer Shilpa Kumari said, “The woman has been recovered and her statement is being recorded.”
The FIR has been registered under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The section deals with punishment for kidnapping or abducting a woman with intent to compel her to marry against her will, or to force her to illicit intercourse.
The law provides for imprisonment of up to ten years and fines as punishments for such offences. It further talks about a similar offence that a person induces a woman to leave her location using intimidation or abusing the authority for illicit purposes, punishable with the same penalties against the offender.
