'Bring back my wife, take yours’: Abductors in Surat issue ultimatum - 'If you fail ...'

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A 45-year-old woman has been abducted from her home in Gujarat’s Surat district, with her captors allegedly demanding the return of a bride who recently eloped with the victim’s son, according to a police complaint filed on Sunday.

The complaint, filed by Badhsingh Rajput with the Godadara police, details a chilling retaliatory kidnapping. As reported by The Indian Express, the incident began on the afternoon of August 20 when three men and a woman arrived at the Rajput family home. The woman identified herself as the mother of Aruna, a woman from Devdagoda in Rajasthan who had eloped with Badhsingh’s son, Karan Singh, three weeks prior.

The visitors, who had travelled from Rajasthan, stayed the night. The following morning, after Badhsingh and his younger son, Kalu Singh, left for work, the female guest allegedly abducted Badhsingh’s wife, Kismat Kunwar.

The situation had been foreshadowed hours before the group’s arrival. The Indian Express reported that Badhsingh had received a call from the Beawar police station in Rajasthan informing him that his son, Karan, was accused of kidnapping. A Devdagoda resident, Uday Singh Rajput, had filed a complaint alleging that Karan had eloped with his newlywed bride, Aruna.

Badhsingh discovered his wife was missing upon returning home from work. Her mobile phone was switched off. The case took a more sinister turn on the afternoon of August 22 when he received a call from an anonymous number. He identified the voice as his wife’s, who told him they had reached Kota in Rajasthan before the line went dead. Subsequent calls to the number failed.

The alleged motive became terrifyingly clear on August 24. When Badhsingh called Uday Singh Rajput, the man who had filed the police complaint against his son, he was delivered an ultimatum. According to the police complaint, Uday Singh stated, “Bring my wife back and take your wife and if you fail to do so, we will kill her.” Uday’s phone was subsequently switched off.

The Godadara police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including kidnapping for ransom or to compel action, abetment and criminal intimidation. The accused, including the woman who identified herself as Aruna’s mother, are currently unknown, as per The Indian Express report.

Inspector HS Acharya of the Godadara police station confirmed the ongoing investigation. “We have registered an offence against an unknown person and have started a probe. Karan Singh’s phone is out of service,” he was cited by The Indian Express. “We have sent a team with Badhsingh to Pune to his place to locate him. We are in contact with the Rajasthan police for the safety of the abducted woman.”

The police are now attempting to locate the central figures in this complex case - Karan Singh, the eloped bride Aruna and Uday Singh - to secure the safe release of Kismat Kunwar.