ERODE: Perundurai police in the Erode district arrested five people for allegedly abducting a newlywed woman from Anthiyur after she married a man from a Scheduled Caste community.
Police said that all five were relatives and friends of the bride, S Mahalakshmi, who is from a Backward Class community. The arrested include her elder sister.
The abductors approached the newly married couple in the guise of meeting them at Erode on Tuesday and had lunch with them. While returning, they abducted the bride in a car, leaving her husband, K Sethuraj, there.
Based on his complaint, the Perundurai police on Wednesday evening arrested the abductors at Sathyamangalam and rescued the bride.
The arrested were identified as Mahalakshmi's sister S Kousalya (25), her husband Santhosh (26), S Sadiq (27) — all three of Kotagiri in Nilgiris district — M Logeshwaran (21) of Sathyamangalam and S Dhanapal from Pooluvapatti in Tiruppur district.
Mahalakshmi (21) married Sethuraj (25) of the same locality on December 5 amid opposition from her family as they had a love affair.
Following the marriage, they petitioned at the Erode All-Women Police Station seeking protection for themselves from her family, and then they stayed at their relative's house at Perundurai.
Meanwhile, Mahalakshmi's elder sister, Kousalya, contacted the former over the phone and told her that she wanted to meet her in person. The couple was invited for lunch at a hotel near Old Bus Stand at Perundurai on Tuesday, where the abductors met the couple and had lunch with them. While returning, the group allegedly abducted Mahalakshmi in their car, leaving Sethuraj at the hotel.
Shocked, he approached the Perundurai police and complained about the abduction. A police team traced the gang to Uthandiyur near Sathyamangalam and arrested the gang on Wednesday and rescued Mahalakshmi from them. The arrested persons were remanded to the Coimbatore central prison. Further investigation into the case was on, said police.