Days after a 17-year-old girl was kidnapped from the Taraganj Iske area in Dayalbagh in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, the police had recovered the victim on Monday night, reported Jagran.
As per reports, the victim was abducted on February 23 (Tuesday) from Dayalbagh Hospital, where she had gone to buy medicines along with her aunt. The incident came to light on February 26 (Friday) after the CCTV footage of the abduction went viral on social media. In the video, the victim could be seen clad in a burqa and walking alongside the accused. The father of the victim had registered a complaint against one Mehtab Rana, who had abducted the victim on two previous two occasions in 2018.
An FIR (First Information Report) was thus lodged by the police and Mehtab’s wife and two sisters-in-law were arrested. When the cops could not find anything substantial after interrogating them, they followed another line of investigation. While scanning the CCTV footage, the police found that the victim and the accused took an auto from outside the Dayalbagh hospital.
Cops trace down the vehicles used in the alleged abduction
The auto had a painting on its outer wall, a distinct marker that helped the cops easily trace the 3-wheeler vehicle. On questioning the auto driver, he informed that he left the duo outside Bhagwan Talkies in Agra city. He added that the victim and the accused sat in a car parked outside the movie theatre and drove away. The police analyzed the CCTV footage and identified the car by matching it with the auto driver’s description. The cops then nabbed the car driver by the name of Neeraj who said that he had left the victim in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area.
Teen recovered from Delhi, wanted to prepare for NEET in the National Capital
On Monday (March 1) night, the police recovered the girl from a PG in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area. On being asked about the abduction, she claimed to have gone to Delhi to prepare for NEET (annual pan-India medical entrance) examination. The victim said that her family members had imposed several restrictions after she had fled the house with prime suspect Mehtab Rana. Even though she wanted to go to Delhi to study, her family did not agree with the proposal.
How was the alleged kidnapping executed?
The victim informed that she had moved to her aunt’s house in January 2020. Her cousin brother Namit, had introduced her to his friend Divyanshu Chauhan. On February 23, Divyanshu came to Agra from Gwalior along with car driver Neeraj. One of their acquaintances named Rinku brought the girl out of the Dayalbagh hospital and made her wear a burqa. Following that, they took an auto to Bhagwan Talkies, where Neeraj and Divyanshu were waiting for her. Rinku, Divyanshu, and the victim then drove to Tilak Nagar in Delhi in Neeraj’s car.
The police later found her in a PG in Tilak Nagar. When the cops tried to arrest Divyanshu, they found that he was already arrested in a separate cybercrime case by the Gwalior police. The victim had reiterated that she wanted to go to Delhi to prepare for her NEET exam. The cops are conducting raids at several places to apprehend the other accused involved in the ‘abduction’ case. Reportedly, the accused Rinku had gone to a pilgrimage with his wife. The police is now trying to trace him down.
The cops are trying to determine whether Mehtab Rana is connected with the other accused in any way. It has also come to light that the girl’s father had received a phone call, warning him about his daughter’s kidnapping. “Stop it if you can,” the caller threatened. The man on the phone identified himself as Mehtab Rana. After the girl went missing, the victim’s father therefore registered a complaint against Mehtab Rana.
Mehtab Rana had abducted the girl twice in 2018
It must be pointed out that Mehtab, the father of 6 children and a resident of Meerut, had earlier abducted the girl on 2 occasions. Earlier, SP Botro Rohan Pramod informed that Mehtab was a co-worker of the victim’s father at a hotel. The accused was living in the Taraganj Iske area, where the victim resided. He would frequently visit her house and thus managed to trap the girl. In 2018, he had taken the girl to his house in Meerut. When the case was lodged, the police had arrested Mehtab’s brother.
It must be mentioned that a case was then registered under relevant sections of the POSCO act against Mehtab on the basis of the victim’s statement. A case was also lodged against his two in-laws for their involvement in the crime. Mehtab’s relative’s relatives not only facilitated the abduction but also provided him with a hideout to escape the cops.
Fearing police action, the family members of the accused had handed over the girl to the police. However, after a span of a few months, the girl was kidnapped yet again by Mehtab. The police had then swung into action and rescued the victim. The cops could not arrest the accused as he had got a stay order from the court. The girl’s family had earlier dubbed the incident as a case of ‘love jihad’ and has demanded action against others who are involved in the crime.