The Hindu : National : Former U.P. Minister accused of kidnapping

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Tuesday, Jan 06, 2009
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Former U.P. Minister accused of kidnapping

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: The former Uttar Pradesh Minister, Raja Ram Pandey, is in the dock following accusations of kidnapping a woman student of a degree college in Antu in Pratapgarh district. Mr. Pandey was named along with four others in the first information report lodged by her father Raj Kumar Singh with the police on Monday.

The college is owned by the former Minister, who was Khadi Development Minister in Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party government. Mr. Pandey was earlier in Janata Dal (United) and was Minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Rajnath Singh.

Additional Director-General of Police (Law & Order and Crime) Brij Lal said here on Monday that the 17-year-old, I BA student went missing around 3.30 p.m. on Saturday. Her father has named, besides the former Minister, Dinesh, Rahul Singh, Vivek Dubey and the college principal, accusing them of kidnapping his daughter and keeping her in illegal confinement.

The girl returned home on Monday, and apparently the FIR was lodged after her return. Mr. Lal said investigations were under way and the police was yet to come to any conclusion on the motive behind the girl’s alleged kidnapping. He said the girl would be sent for medical examination.

Mr. Pandey lost the Garwara seat in Pratapgarh district to Brijesh Mishra ‘Saurabh’ of the Bahujan Samaj Party in the 2007 Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the Tata Safari vehicle used in the murder of PWD executive engineer Manoj Kumar Gupta was recovered by the Auraiya police from Kaimganj in Farrukhabad district on Monday.

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