Thiruvananthapuram: Five persons, including a policeman, were apprehended for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a woman here after she turned down the marriage proposal of one of the accused.
The arrested were - Shyam Devadevan (42) of Parasuvaikkal; Sudheer (40), a Grade ASI posted at AR Camp; Shaneef (37) of Parassala; Shajila of Pound Colony; and Arun (37) of Parasuvaikkal.
According to cops, the victim, a woman living separately from her husband, had been friends with Shyam. Their relationship soured over time, leading to estrangement between the two. However, Syam continued to stalk her.
“A civil case between them is pending before the Nedumangad court. During questioning, Shyam claimed he had abducted the victim to hold talks with her to resolve the dispute and marry her,” police said.
Shyam’s friend Sudheer, a police officer, arrived in uniform at the victim’s house at 8.30 am on Thursday and asked her to accompany him in a car, claiming that the police wanted to interrogate her in connection with the case. Shajila and Shaneef too were in the vehicle, police stated.
They shifted her to Shyam’s car midway and took her to a farmhouse in Tirunelveli. Shyam demanded they live together, but the woman rejected the same. Upon her refusal, the accused brandished an air gun and resorted to physical violence, the police said.
The victim’s children, meanwhile, filed a missing complaint with the police when they couldn’t find her in the morning. Then, it was revealed that she had been abducted. A probe was initiated, and the cops tracked down the accused by using their mobile tower location. Following the probe, ASI Sudheer, a native of Parasuvaikkal in Parassala, has been placed under suspension.
