Woman from Karnataka rescued, one arrested

A 21-year-old woman from Karnataka was rescued from South Delhi's Mahipalpur area in a joint operation of Delhi and Karnataka Police after the man she had eloped allegedly made ransom calls to her father demanding Rs 10 lakh.

Sujoydey (27), a resident of 24 Pargana district of West Bengal, was arrested yesterday from Mahipalpur by the joint team and the girl was rescued.

"A team of Karnataka Police arrived in Delhi yesterday and sought assistance from us for recovery of a girl kidnapped for ransom from Bagal Kot district of Karnataka. The person, who made ransom call of Rs 10 lakh to the parents of the girl, was located in the area of Mahipalpur," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav.

Crime Branch officials along with Karnataka Police team reached the area and conducted raids at many places. Sustained efforts put in by the police team bore fruits and the kidnapped girl was rescued safely and accused Sujoydey was apprehended, police said.

According to the girl, about 6-7 months ago, she had received a missed call on her cell phone and when she called back, Sujoydey introduced himself to her as a businessman and they became friends. They started talking over phone frequently and after some time developed affection towards one another.

"Meanwhile, her family was looking for a suitable groom for her and arranged her marriage to be solemnised in the month of April. Sujoydey then convinced her to elope with him after stealing cash and jewellery from her house," said Yadav.

On February 20, Sujoydey reached Bengaluru Airport and she took Rs three lakh and gold jewellery weighing around 100 gm from her home and reached Bengaluru.On the same day, they boarded a flight and reached Delhi. Sujoydey then took her to a guest house in Mahipalpur where they stayed for the night.

According to police, Sujoydey did not have enough money to sustain her after marriage. So, he made a ransom call to her father without her knowledge and demanded Rs 10 lakh. The father then approached police which registered a case and Sujoydey was apprehended from Delhi.

Sujoydey worked with his father who runs a small unit of manufacturing T-shirts. He has studied up to 12th standard. The girl had been studying in 2nd year of Arts in the local college. She has two brothers and two sisters and her father is a vegetable vendor, police said. Karnataka Police is also looking into the human trafficking aspect in the case.