In a scene that seemed straight out of a movie, four unidentified youths in masks whisked away an 18-year-old girl from her house after shoving her father at Moodapally village in Rajanna-Sircilla district in their car in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the police to launch an intensive search to trace the girl.
But the case took a curious turn as the girl appeared dramatically on social media a few hours later, claiming that she had gone with her ‘boyfriend’ with whom she had been in love, on her own, to marry him.
A video clip showing the girl flanked by her boyfriend, both clad in traditional wedding attire on the premises of a temple after reportedly tying the knot, went viral on social media.
As my parents planned to finalize my marriage alliance against my wishes, I had called him over the phone to take me and when he arrived to pick me up, I could not immediately recognize him as he covered his face with a mask, she said.
She said, “We are facing threats from our family and need protection from the police.”
The family members and close relatives of the girl, a college dropout, were averse to their “inter-caste” marriage, sources said.
Earlier in the day, the Chandurthi police registered a case of kidnapping based on a complaint lodged by the father of the girl and dispatched special teams to rescue her.
The boyfriend of the girl identified as Gnaneshwar (Johny), 24, was booked earlier under the POCSO Act by the police for allegedly eloping with the latter, when she was 17-year-old, over a year ago, for a few days, sources added.
Police sources said the exact facts pertaining to the incident at Moodapally will be ascertained after the arrival of the duo, who are expected to reach Chandurthi from an unspecified location late in the night.