Cops look for ‘abducted’ woman in Jharkhand

MUMBAI: Acting on the directions of the Bombay high court, a Byculla police team visited Jharkhand last week to search for Soundarya Raj Lakshmi alias Aisha (21), who her husband claimed had been “abducted” by her parents. The police was to produce Lakshmi before a bench comprising Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode in the high court on Wednesday. Since, they were unable to do so, they have been given an extension till Friday.
Mazin and his family say that if Lakshmi fails to show up in court on Friday also, they will move the court to direct the police to lodge an abduction case against Lakshmi’s father, Dharmendra Pratab Dev.
The victim, Lakshmi, had married Mazin Barmare (24) last year without her parents’ approval. According to an officer from the Byculla police station, the visit to Jharkhand was futile as they could neither locate Lakshmi nor her family.
“The girl belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Garwa in Jharkhand. Their residence is heavily fortified and it was difficult for us to gain entry. An attendant told us that the family had gone to Chattisgarh and he didn’t know when they would return,” said a police officer from the team requesting anonymity.
“Lakshmi’s family is very influential and knows several senior police officers and state officials,” said Zahid Barmare, Mazin’s father. “The police have been dragging their feet over registering an FIR because of pressure from their superiors. However, if we don’t hear from Lakshmi we will certainly have to file a criminal case,” he added.
Mazin’s mother said she had received a call from Lakshmi and claimed that her family was giving her sleeping pills and injections against her will.
TOI was unable to reach Dev or his wife despite repeated attempts to contact them.