A man, his brothers and father, as well as an associate, armed with a sword and an iron rod, attempted to kidnap a woman in public view in Ashok Nagar, Madhya Pradesh, on Thursday, PTI reported. Shortly after, a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The incident took place on Thursday night. According to the PTI report, the accused, who were on motorcycles, left the 22-year-old woman behind after people started gathering to stop them.
The accused had tried to drag the woman with them.
The brazen act prompted Parliament Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to hold a meeting in Bhopal on Friday afternoon to review the law and order situation in the state, according to a government statement.
The police were given strict instructions to control crimes, the statement added. Police officials said that the main accused Saleem Khan, his brothers Shahrukh Khan (27) and Sameer Khan (26), as well as his father Abid Khan (58) and one Tofiq Khan (25) were booked. 1 a.m. on Friday.
Saleem Khan was later arrested for repeatedly raping the woman as well as other offences, they said, adding that the case was registered after a protest by some right-wing Hindu groups. Later that same day, an allegedly illegal portion of the defendant’s home was demolished, authorities said.
“Khan had repeatedly raped the 22-year-old woman (earlier) and was blackmailing her for some time. After the woman’s marriage to another man was arranged, Khan became enraged and sought help from his relatives to kidnap her.” Kotwali police station inspector Manish Sharma said.
According to the police, the accused also hit the woman’s father and mother. In the evening, CM Yadav, who is also home minister, visited the police headquarters in Bhopal and gave necessary instructions to senior officials to curb criminals and control crimes, according to the PTI report quoting officials.
Yadav raised the Ashok Nagar incident with senior officials and stated that the police must instil fear in the minds of criminals, the government statement said.