- Woman and two children kidnapped in Alirajpur by armed men led by Sanjay Singh Rajput
- Victims were forcibly taken from home; husband beaten and hospitalised after resisting
- Minor girl escaped attempted kidnapping in Alirajpur; police registered case after video surfaced
Two kidnapping incidents in Madhya Pradesh - one in the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district and the other in Chhatarpur - have raised serious concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Both crimes occurred during the day and were captured on video, triggering widespread outrage.
In Sumeri village under Lavkushnagar police station, a woman and her two children were forcibly abducted from their home on Saturday afternoon by a group of armed men.
According to the police, Sanjay Singh Rajput, son of notorious dacoit Panchu Lodhi, entered the village with nearly a dozen accomplices, all armed with guns and sticks. They allegedly opened fire and dragged 26-year-old Mithlesh, her 4-year-old son Sarthak, and 5-year-old daughter Bhumi into a car.
Mithlesh's husband, Hariram Prajapati, who tried to resist, was beaten mercilessly with sticks and is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital. "Sanjay had his eye on my wife. He was sitting outside our house the day before. When I confronted him, he came back and took her away," Hariram told NDTV.
A disturbing video of the incident shows Sanjay forcibly dragging the woman while his aides threaten villagers and force the children into a vehicle. The police have seized a Bolero and a motorcycle, detained two suspects, and are searching over 25 locations to nab the remaining accused.
SP Agam Jain has declared a Rs 10,000 reward on the main accused, and five police teams have been deployed to rescue the woman and children. A case under kidnapping, criminal assault, and the SC/ST Act has been registered.
Naveen Dubey, SDOP Lavkushnagar, said, "We've already arrested three more accused and are confident of recovering the kidnapped victims soon."
In another incident in Alirajpur district, a minor girl narrowly escaped an attempted broad daylight kidnapping that looked straight out of a movie scene. The incident took place on Wednesday, but a video surfaced late Friday night, prompting the police to take suo motu cognizance.
The video shows three accused, one wielding a sharp-edged weapon, trying to forcibly take the girl away on a motorcycle. The girl's sister can be seen resisting and raising an alarm. The accused's plan failed when the bike got stuck in traffic, and the girl bravely jumped off the vehicle to escape.
Shaken by the experience, the victim's family reportedly did not approach the police, but the video going viral forced authorities to register a case and begin an investigation.
