UPDATE on Mar 2, 2021: While previously the girl was kidnapped twice by Mehtab Rana, this time, it was found that the girl faked her own kidnapping. You can read the full update here.
In a shocking incident case of kidnapping, a 17-year-old girl was abducted, this time under a ‘burqa’, allegedly for the third time from Taraganj Iske area in Dayalbagh in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.
As per reports, the victim is a 9th Std student in Dayalbagh in New Agra. The family members informed that the minor girl was at their house in Taraganj Iske. She had gone to the Dayalbagh Hospital with her aunt to buy medicines. Sensing an opportunity, the accused made the girl wear a burkha and took her away. Her aunt kept waiting at the hospital while the girl was abducted. The incident came to light on Friday after the CCTV footage of the abduction went viral on social media.
The family has alleged that one Mehtab Rana may be behind the abduction. He is a resident of Rasulpur Aurangabad village in Meerut, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bhavnapur police station. He is married and a father of 6 children. When the police analysed the CCTV footage, they spotted the abductor, allegedly Mehtab Rana, with a burqa-clad girl. In the video, the victim can be seen walking with the accused. The family members of the victim have informed that it is the third time when Mehtab has abducted the minor girl.
https://twitter.com/SudarshanNewsTV/status/1365226005430902784?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIt must be mentioned that the primary accused has not been arrested so far, despite being 72 hours since the incident. The police have received information that Mehtab might have taken the girl to Delhi and staying at a relative’s place.
Following a social media outrage, the police have arrested the wife and two sisters-in-law of Mehtab Rana on Friday. At the same time, one of the accused’s brothers was also taken into custody and interrogated by the cops. The cops are conducting raids at several locations in the Meerut-NCR region. A team of New Agra police has also been camping at Meerut to trace Mehtab Rana.
Agra kidnapping where Hindu victim was shrouded in burqa: Accused Mehtab had abducted the victim twice in 2018
While speaking about the incident, SP Botro Rohan Pramod informed that Mehtab was a co-worker of the victim’s father at a hotel. The accused would live in Taraganj Iske area, where the victim resided. He would frequently visit her house and thus managed to trap the girl. SP Botro Rohan Pramod said that the accused had earlier kidnapped the girl in 2018. During that time, he had taken the victim to his house in Meerut. When the case was lodged, the police had arrested Mehtab’s brother.
It must be mentioned that a case was then registered under relevant sections of the POSCO act against Mehtab on the basis of the victim’s statement. A case was also lodged against his two in-laws for their involvement in the crime. Mehtab’s relative’s relatives not only facilitated the abduction but also provided him with a hideout to escape the cops.
Fearing police action, the family members of the accused had handed over the girl to the police. However, after a span of a few months, the girl was kidnapped yet again by Mehtab. The police had then swung into action and rescued the victim. The cops could not arrest the accused as he had got a stay order from the court. SP Botro Rohan Promod has said that Mehtab had again kidnapped the girl to put pressure on the victim’s family.
Victim’s family accuses police of negligence, alleges grooming jihad
The victim’s family has accused the police of negligence. According to them, the cops did not come to their rescue even after 3 hours of informing the women’s helpline. They have alleged that the police even initially denied lodging a case.
They have also claimed that one of the accused’s family member is a police official and as such the police had been indifferent about the case. The victim’s family has dubbed the incident as a case of ‘love jihad’ and has demanded action against others who are involved in the crime.