A Thane police inspector was arrested on Thursday, 7 December, for allegedly kidnapping a married woman police officer, who went missing from Navi Mumbai in April 2016, PTI reported.
Ashwini Bidre, a 37-year old Assistant Police Inspector, had gone missing from Kalamboli area of Navi Mumbai last April. Following her disappearance, her family had lodged a complaint against Abhay Kurundkar, a Police Inspector in the Kalamboli police station, the Navi Mumbai Police told PTI.
Bidre’s family suspected she had been kidnapped and killed by Kurundkar. The bid to arrest Kurundkar took place on the order of the Bombay High Court, which had been approached by Bidre’s family after the Kalamboli police had failed to trace her.
The family alleged Bidre was in a relationship with Kurundkar, who had promised to marry her, reported India Today. She had met Kurundkar when he was stationed in Sangli district and fallen in love with him. The two began their affair, which continued even when Bidre was temporarily transferred to Ratnagiri, the report added.
Bidre had earlier married a man named Raju Gore in 2005, and the two had a daughter together. When Gore learned of Bidre’s affair, he had allegedly made the decision to separate and stay with their daughter in Kolhapur, reported India Today.
Bidre was allegedly putting pressure on Kurundkar to marry her, which he didn’t want to do.
Although Bidre’s brother had earlier approached the local police with a complaint against Kurundkar and even presented them with a video recording of Kurundkar beating Bidre in 2014, no action was taken, India Today reported.
It was only after the family approached the Bombay High Court that the police proceeded with the arrest. Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale confirmed the arrest of Kurundkar.
Kurundkar has been booked under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 497 (adultery), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Investigations into the murder of Bidre are still underway.
(With inputs from India Today and PTI)
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