Police rescue 19-year-old allegedly abducted & forced into marriage for Rs 2 lakh

Nashik: A 19-year-old married woman was allegedly abducted and forcibly married off to another man in exchange for Rs 2 lakh on Feb 27. Following a complaint by the woman's mother, the police rescued her from Nandgaon on Feb 28.A complaint was registered against seven people, including the man who married the woman, the police said.Inspector Prakash Ahire, of the Satpur police station, said, "A woman, her husband and six others took the 19-year-old along with them to Malegaon on Feb 27. They allegedly told her that she would be working as a helper for a catering contract. They were to return the next evening. However, on Feb 28, the 19-year-old called up her mother saying she had been forcibly married off to a man in Nandgaon."The young woman was already married, though she used to stay at her maternal home. Based on information given by the 19-year-old's mother, a police team went to Nandgaon and brought her home."After being rescued, the young woman told the police that the accused had taken her to Malegaon for work, and then to Nandgaon in their car. She was introduced to a family in Nandgaon and was married off to a man without her consent, in exchange for Rs 2 lakh. She could not immediately find a way to contact her mother. Somehow, she managed to call up her mother clandestinely the next day and sought help. After that, the police rescued her," the officer said.Based on the 19-year-old woman's statement, the police registered a complaint against seven people under BNS section 87 for abducting a woman and compelling her to marry.Asked whether any arrests had been made, the police said, "As of now, other than the man from Nandgaon, the whereabouts of all other accused are not known. An investigation is being carried out. The accused from Nandgaon is being interrogated to understand if the incident is part of any racket.""Once the other accused men and women, who are the neighbours of the complainant, are found, we will have a better understanding of the case," he said.