A woman from Vashi, who was allegedly kidnapped by her family members because of her inter-faith marriage, appeared in Bombay High Court on Monday and said that she would return home next week after her mother, who is unwell, recovers.
Mohammad Iqbal Mohammad Umar Choudhary (28) had filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court, saying that his wife, Reshma (23), had been kidnapped.
Mr. Choudhary said, “She came with her uncle and a relative, and said she will come back by next week as her mother is unwell and she wants to stay with her for a few days. She said that when she was abducted, she had panicked, but was relieved after seeing her father.”
He claimed that his wife’s family had let her come forward fearing arrest. “Recently, the Vashi police arrested one of her relatives. Her family would have wanted to avoid any further arrests. I am relieved, and waiting for Reshma to come back,” Mr. Choudhary said.
The Vashi police said they are waiting for a copy of the High Court order. “We got to know that Reshma was present in court, and now our case will change as per the statement she gave,” inspector Kishan Gaikwad said.
LLB student Reshma, who eloped and married Mr. Choudhary (28) in July 2017, was allegedly kidnapped on December 17, 2017, by her own family members.
The Vashi police had visited parts of Kerala and Karnataka as part of the investigations. They had arrested Sunil Hegde, an autorickshaw driver from Mangalore in connection with the kidnapping.
In December, they had arrested another relative, Manoj Jagdish Kharotiya (32), a resident of Mankhurd.
