In a bizarre incident from the Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, a man filed a police complaint after his 36-year-old wife allegedly eloped with a beggar, leaving him and their six children behind. The police registered a case based on the complaint of the 45-year-old husband, identified as Raju, under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to the abduction of a woman.

According to a report by NDTV, Raju, a resident of the Harpalpur area, stated in his complaint that his wife, Rajeshwari, had been in frequent contact with a local beggar, identified as 45-year-old Nanhe Pandit. The beggar would often beg in their neighborhood and engage in conversations with Rajeshwari. Over time, their interaction extended to phone calls.

Narrating the sequence of events, Raju mentioned that on January 3, around 2 pm, Rajeshwari informed their daughter Khushboo that she was heading to the market to purchase clothes and vegetables. However, when she did not return home, Raju began searching for her but to no avail. He also alleged that Rajeshwari took money with her, which he had earned from selling a buffalo.

“I suspect that Nanhe Pandit has taken her with him,” Raju stated in his complaint.

The police promptly registered an FIR under Section 87 of the BNS and initiated a search operation to locate both Rajeshwari and Nanhe Pandit. The legal provision under which the case has been filed outlines strict penalties for the abduction or enticement of a woman with the intent to compel her into marriage or illicit relationships.

Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita states: “Whoever kidnaps or abducts any woman with the intent that she may be compelled, or knowing it to be likely that she will be compelled, to marry any person against her will, or in order that she may be forced or seduced to illicit intercourse, or knowing it to be likely that she will be forced or seduced to illicit intercourse, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.”

The provision further adds, “Whoever, by means of criminal intimidation as defined in this Sanhita or of abuse of authority or any other method of compulsion, induces any woman to go from any place with intent that she may be, or knowing that it is likely that she will be, forced or seduced to illicit intercourse with another person shall also be punishable as aforesaid.”