In a rescue act, which is the second in one week, the city police have saved a 22-year-old woman within 30 hours of her kidnap and arrested five persons, including the kingpin, Bhagiratha Aachari, a constable of the Owk police station in Kurnool district.
The police have also seized three cars used in the kidnap act. The accused have been identified as Bhagiratha Achari; former BSF constable Chandramohan; Krishnaveni; Shaik Hazi Basha; and Revanna Murali – of Bandakindapalli, near Madanapalli, in Chittoor district. Search is on for a few more persons who have allegedly assisted the kingpin in the commission of the crime.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Anantapur Superintendent of Police B. Satya Yesu Babu said that Bhagiratha was engaged to the woman about one year ago. But four months ago, the marriage was called off when her parents came to know that there were some criminal cases pending against the constable.
However, Bhagiratha, who wanted to marry the woman, took the help of his relatives to kidnap her from Azad Nagar in a SUV and proceeded towards Dharmavaram.
On receiving information, Mr. Yesu Babu alerted the police personnel over the ‘High Alert’ App and ensured that they searched all vehicles.
Meanwhile, the accused abandoned the SUV at Tadipatri, hired a car, and took the woman to the house of a relative at Madanapalli for an overnight stay. There, the constable’s relatives allegedly mounted pressure on the woman to marry him, but when she refused, she was allegedly treated in an inhuman way by not serving her water or food.
Bhagiratha later hired another car and tried to shift the woman to his native place Kolimigundla in Kurnool district via Pulivendula and Kadapa.
Meanwhile, the Banaganaplli Circle Inspector was also alerted on the possibility of the accused heading towards Kolimigundla.
Anantapur DSP G. Veeraraghava Reddy and IV Town Circle Inspector Kathi Srinivasulu too reached Kolimigundla, where the local police intercepted the car, arrested the accused and brought the woman safely to Anantapur.