A shocking triple murder in the Begusarai District of Bihar on 17th February evening which involved the alleged murder of a 25-year-old woman, her father and her brother at the hands of the woman’s father-in-law has horrified the entire state. The accused absconded from the crime scene after shooting down the three persons in the village of Bishnupur Ahuk which is under the jurisdiction of the Sahebpur Kamal police station.
Neelu Kumari, her father Umesh Yadav and brother Rajesh Yadav, all of whom lived in the Begusarai district’s Sreenagar region, were identified as the victims by a senior police official. The village head, Subodh Kumar Yadav, revealed to the media that Neelu Kumari’s in-laws were not taking her to their home even after two years of marriage because it was a case of ‘Pakadua Shaadi’ or forced marriage in which men are kidnapped and married off to women against their will.
“The incident took place on Saturday evening when Umesh Yadav, along with his son and daughter, went to Neelu Kumari’s in-laws’ house. According to villagers, when her father-in-law saw them, he got furious and a scuffle broke out,” stated Station House Officer (SHO) Sahebpur Kamal police station, Deepak Kumar while addressing journalists.
He added, “It was during the scuffle that Neelu Kumari’s father-in-law suddenly whipped out his gun and shot them dead from point-blank range leading all the three people dead on the spot.” A manhunt has been initiated to find the accused who fled after committing the heinous crime. Senior police officers have arrived at the location and an investigation is still ongoing.
Groom kidnapping, colloquially known as Pakadua Shaadi or Jabaria Shaadi is a phenomenon in the western parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh states, more prominent in Munger and Dumka (now in Jharkhand) wherein eligible bachelors are abducted by the bride’s family and forcibly married, to get men with better occupation and/or richer men. The practice started becoming noticeable towards the late 20th century, as dowry costs became prohibitive and organised gangs came forward to carry out the abductions.