BENGALURU: The men allegedly sent to abduct a 21-year-old Bengaluru woman had given the driver of a Hyundai Venue a chilling instruction — to mow down anyone who tried to stop them. Police say the group was hired by her in-laws to take her back to Rajasthan after she married outside her caste.The abduction attempt triggered high drama on Magadi Road on Wednesday evening after the woman was allegedly forced into the car and the driver sped away, ramming into several vehicles and injuring people, including a nine-year-old girl. Alert members of the public chased the car for around 2km, eventually blocking it and catching three of the occupants. Videos of the chase and the crowd confronting the men later went viral.Police said the woman had married Ramesh (name changed), who belongs to another caste, in a court marriage in February after their families opposed the relationship. The couple, fearing threats to their lives, moved to Bengaluru, where Ramesh had been living and working for more than a decade.The woman told Magadi Road police that her mother-in-law had threatened her and demanded that she leave her husband and return to Rajasthan with the men who had come to take her. She also alleged that the men misbehaved with her while forcing her into the vehicle.According to police, three men from Pali in Rajasthan — Rakesh, 31, Karan, 28, and Ayan, 18 — had been hired by the woman’s father-in-law. They allegedly travelled to Bengaluru around 10 days before the incident and stayed at a hotel near Majestic. Police said they also kept watch on Ramesh’s movements by parking their vehicle some distance from his house.The men allegedly knocked on the woman’s door claiming they had been sent by her father. Believing them, she opened the door and accompanied them outside. She realised she had been trapped when they made a video call to Ramesh’s mother, police said.The woman alleged in her complaint that the abductors told Saddam, the driver who remains at large, to “mow down” anyone who tried to stop them.“The vehicle was being driven rashly and brushed against other vehicles on the road. Instead of stopping, the driver pressed the accelerator and tried to flee. We were followed for around 2km before the car was blocked. Seeing the crowd, I shouted for help,” she said.Police arrested Rakesh, Karan and Ayan based on the woman’s complaint. A senior police officer said Ramesh’s parents would also be arrested for their alleged role in planning and executing the abduction.The case has brought renewed attention to the couple’s claim that their families had opposed their inter-caste relationship and that they had been forced to leave Rajasthan for Bengaluru after receiving threats.
