By Zulfiqar Ahmad
ISLAMABAD, July 15: A 25-year-old youth from the Dizg village of Yarkhun valley was on Wednesday put behind bars on the charge of kidnapping a 22-year-old girl from the Khot village of Torkhow.
Relatives of the young man told ChitralToday on phone that Mr Amin, son of Roshti Khan, had gone to Torkhow and on his return the daughter of one of his relatives eloped with him. When the 22-year-old girl reached Dizg village along with Amin on July 14, local Ismaili Nikah Khwan Taj Uddin solemnized the Nikah of the couple.
In the meantime, the father of the girl lodged a kidnapping case with the Torkhow police against the young man. The police lost no time and approached the Mastuj police and then reached the Dizg village on July 15 and took both the girl and the youth into custody.
Later, the couple was brought to Booni where the young man was put behind bars in the local police station while the girl was given in the superdari of the Qazi of Booni.
When this correspondent contacted the Mastuj police station, an official there said the Torkhow police after taking their consent raided the village of Dizg and recovered the couple and took their custody. He said the Mastuj police only cooperated with them as a kidnapping case had been registered against the man by the Torkhow police.
Talking to ChitralToday, Habibur Rehman, the investigating officer (IO) of the case at the Booni police station, said the girl clearly told the police that she had married Amin on her free will without any pressure. She also said she had changed her sect to Ismailism to which her new husband belonged.
When asked why the police arrested the couple when their Nikah had already been solemnized, the IO said the police were under pressure and there was chances of law and order issue.
It may be noted that the relatives and other people from the village of the girl have also reached Booni and there are fears that they might pressure the girl to change her stance when she would be produced before the local court on Thursday.