Daijiworld Media Network – Bhadohi

Bhadohi, Nov 24: A 20-year-old youth arrested for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl from another community was found dead in a pond after reportedly escaping from police custody in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district. The incident has sparked tension, with the family rejecting the suicide theory and alleging negligence by the police.

According to police, the youth had been arrested two days earlier and kept in custody over the weekend, with plans to produce him before the court on Monday. Around 4.30 am on Saturday, he requested to use the washroom and allegedly pushed the constable escorting him before fleeing from the police station premises.

Later that night, a patrol team from a nearby police station found a wallet, belt and a handwritten note near a pond beside a temple. Suspecting it belonged to the escaped youth, they alerted the concerned police station, following which a search was launched. The body was recovered from the pond around 7 am on Sunday. Police said no external injuries were found, and drowning is suspected to be the cause of death.

A four-page note recovered from the spot is being treated as a suicide note. Police said it blamed the girl and her family for “forcing him to take the extreme step”, claiming she had accompanied him willingly, contrary to her statement.

However, the youth’s family has rejected the suicide theory. His brother alleged that the handwriting on the note does not match and accused the girl’s family of threatening him earlier. They also alleged police negligence.

Bhadohi ASP Shubham Agrawal said an inquiry has been ordered and the SHO has been suspended. The youth’s father, a homeguard constable, has been asked to file a formal complaint.