Nainital woman missing for 3 months rescued in Bijnor; accused held

Nainital: A 19-year-old woman who had been missing from Nainital for nearly three months was traced to UP's Bijnor and brought back on Sunday. A man was arrested at the Delhi-Bijnor border for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting her.The case had triggered communal tension in parts of the region. On Saturday, the woman's father, accompanied by members of the BJP, filed a complaint at Bhowali police station, alleging that a youth from the minority community, who worked at a local barber shop, had lured his daughter and tried to coerce her into religious conversion. The family said the woman recently contacted them, claiming she had been forcibly taken and assaulted.Following the complaint, SHO Prakash Singh Mehra constituted two special teams to trace her. An FIR was initially registered under BNS section 140 (kidnapping).In her statement to police, the woman alleged that when she asked the accused to marry her, he assaulted and threatened her. Based on her statement, additional charges under BNS sections 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 352 (intentional insult). After her medical examination, the accused was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.The incident drew political attention, with BJP representatives accompanying the family to the police station and alleging a broader pattern of targeting women in the area. They sought strict verification of "outsiders" residing in the region.MLA Sarita Arya said such incidents must not be tolerated and urged authorities to take stringent action against those found guilty. She also called for identification and scrutiny of suspicious individuals.Police said the investigation is ongoing and further action will be taken based on evidence and due legal process.