Noida (Uttar
Pradesh), September 19: UP Police on Friday found a 20-year-old woman in Gonda
district, a day after her family alleged that she was abducted from Badalpur, Greater
Noida. Police added that the woman, a major, willingly had chosen to visit and
stay with her friend, also a major, and said the family had staged a drama,
following which they lodged the false complaint.
The woman
had gone to her friend’s house on Wednesday and the family filed the false
complaint on Thursday morning, said police officials working on the case.
The woman’s
father, in his police complaint, had said that his four children usually went for
a morning walk in the neighbourhood. “As usual, they had left home at 5 am on
Thursday. My eldest daughter was walking ahead while her three siblings were
following her. When they were near Rail Vihar colony, some people reached the
spot in a white car. They started harassing my daughter. When she resisted,
they tore her clothes, pulled her inside the car, and abducted her,” he said.
He also said
that when the other three siblings tried to rescue their sister, the suspects
beat them up.
Based on the
complaint, a case was registered against unknown persons under Section 323
(voluntarily causing hurt), Section 354 (assault of criminal force to woman
with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 364 (kidnapping) of the Indian
Penal Code at Badalpur police station.
Harish
Chander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida Central, said that the police
formed five teams to investigate the matter further. “We found the statements
of woman’s parents and siblings inconsistent. We scanned the woman’s call
record details and found that she had been in touch with a man for two years.
The woman recently bought a new SIM card also,” he said.
Chander said
this new mobile phone number’s location pinged in neighbouring Acheja village
in Greater Noida. “The location was subsequently traced to Ghaziabad,
Sahibabad, Dankaur, Mathura and Agra and then it was found to be switched off,”
he said.
Ankur
Agarwal, Additional DCP Noida Central, said the woman’s previous mobile phone’s
location was active in Gonda. “A police team was sent to Gonda where the woman
was found at her friend’s house,” he said. He said that the woman had met the
man through social media two years ago.
He added
that she had caught a bus and gone to his place on Wednesday, and her family
knew about it. However, the family hid the information. “We will take action
against her family members for filing a false complaint and blocking the road
in protest,” Agarwal said.
Police said
it appears as though the family faked the incident to cover up the woman’s
elopement. Police have not taken any action against the woman and her friend as
they both are adults.
Chander said
that it was after the police scanned multiple CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood
and found no such car in anyone of them. It was then that the police started
investigating from other angles.
DCP Chander said
that the woman’s uncle is an assistant sub-inspector in Delhi Police and had
allegedly assisted the family in creating this plot, adding that UP police will
question the sub-inspector for his role.
Vrinda
Shukla, DCP, women’s safety, said that the woman’s family had also asked their
minor children to lie and mislead the police. “They had also blocked NH-91 for
two hours in protest. This had created a negative image of police among the
public,” she said.