COIMBATORE: A newly-wed couple was rescued by members of the public, with the help of traffic police, at the busy Lakshmi Mill signal junction in Coimbatore city on Wednesday night after they escaped from a car in which they were taken by the woman's family.
Amid peak-hour traffic, in full public view, the couple started shouting for help from the car when it stopped at the signal. After managing to get out of the car, they sought help from passerby to "save them" from the other passengers in the car. Members of the public intervened, with some starting to capture the incident on their mobile phones.
In a video that has since been shared widely, the couple is seen informing the people that they got married reported at Periyar Padipagam in the city on March 1 and had appeared before the Saravanampatti Police station. However, the bride's family was transporting them in a car in which one of the passengers was carrying weapons, they alleged.
With the videos going viral, Race Course police arrived at the spot and took the couple along with the five people in the car for questioning.
According to police, a preliminary investigation revealed that Sneha (18) from Thoothukudi, belonging to the Nadar community, and Vignesh (22) from Saravanampatti, belonging to the Gounder community, got married at Thanthai Periyar Padippagam at Gandhipuram in Coimbatore on March 1. On Wednesday, the couple went to the Saravanampatti police station to state that they their marriage was consensual and sought to be left alone.
The members of Sneha's family reporting told the couple that they had accepted the marriage but wanted to take to them Thoothukudi. Trusting them, the couple got into the car. However, they shouted for help and escaped after they found that one of the family members allegedly had weapons with them in the car.
Police said the couple and five persons were questioned and released. They have been told to appear before the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central) on Thursday.