TENKASI: Enraged over their daughter marrying a man outside their caste, a Gujarati couple and their supporters allegedly abducted the girl in front of her husband and in full public view near Tenkasi on Wednesday. CCTV footage of the incident has now gone viral on social media.
Courtallam police have booked seven persons in connection with the crime, but the whereabouts of the victim, Krithika Patel, are still unknown. Police suspect that the parents might have shifted her to Uttarakhand, Mumbai or Gujarat.
Addressing media persons, Krithika's husband Vineet said they tied the knot in Nagercoil on December 27. "On January 4, in front of her parents, Krithika gave Courtallam police her statement that she wanted to spend her life with me. Accordingly, the police sent her with me. However, on January 14, a gang of rowdies attempted to abduct my wife. We ran into a sawmill and had a narrow escape after ringing up the Tenkasi police. Later, we lodged a complaint against her parents with the Chief Minister's Special Cell and the district collector," he said.
Vineet went on to claim that the Courtallam police summoned the newly-wed couple to the police station on January 25 and put pressure on them to withdraw the complaint. "I refused to take back the complaint as her parents had not provided a statement promising not to trouble us again. The police told us that her father was in Madurai at the moment and would reach the station by 7 pm that day. Believing the officer and hoping to return to the station at night, we left for our home. But on the way, we were waylaid by her father Naveen Patel and her mother. Their goons also damaged our car with an iron rod. Krithika and I ran into a nearby sawmill fearing for our lives," he added.
The goons allegedly thrashed Vineet and his father, before dragging away Krithika. "Hundreds of onlookers who had gathered at the spot upon hearing our screams did nothing to help us," Vineet rued.
Sources said Deputy Inspector General, of Tirunelveli Range, Pravesh Kumar subsequently conducted an inquiry with Courtallam police personnel on why no action was taken on the complaint submitted to the Chief Minister's Special Cell. "Courtallam station inspector Alex has been moved to vacancy reserve following the abduction," they added.
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police E T Samson said teams have been formed to nab the suspects. Krithika's parents are natives of Gujarat and had settled in Tenkasi many years ago, while Vineet hails from Ilanchi village near Tenkasi.