Insurance agent married to woman for 23 yrs held for ‘abducting’ her in 2002

Shamli: A man living with his wife — with whom he has two children, a 20-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter — for 23 years was arrested by Saharanpur police for "kidnapping" her in 2002 when she was 17 and he was 18, police said on Sunday. Mohammad Zubair, now 40, was apprehended on Saturday evening while he was visiting his in-laws on his own accord.Originally from Chudiyala in Uttarakhand, Zubair converted to Hinduism and adopted the name Vijay Pundir to marry the girl he eloped with. The couple settled in Dehradun, where Zubair worked as an insurance agent. They raised their two children and led a family life under his new identity. Zubair's son, a law student, and his daughter were given Hindu names, and the family appeared to lead a normal life.Saharanpur SP (Rural) Sagar Jain said Zubair used forged documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards, to assume his new name. "He was living under the alias Vijay Pundir and evaded detection for years. We recovered several fake documents, including a driving licence, ATM card, and vehicle registration papers from his possession," Jain said.During interrogation, Zubair told the police that his relationship with the woman began 23 years ago, and they eloped on June 16, 2002. The woman's father filed a kidnapping case at the Gagalheri police station. The couple lived in hiding for two to three years before being accepted by her family after the birth of their son."My wife's family assured me that they would not pursue the case filed against me. However, after I learned that the UP police were searching for me, I went to my in-laws' house to inquire about the case, but the police arrested me," Zubair told investigators.SHO Dharmendra Gautam said that a Rs 15,000 reward had been announced for Zubair's arrest. Alongside the kidnapping charges, a second case has been registered under sections of the BNS, including 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly), 338 (forgery of valuable security), 336(3) (forgery for cheating), and 340(2) (fraudulent use of forged documents).