Man stages own kidnapping to help wife win polls in India

Patna: A man in Bihar staged his own kidnapping hoping this would help his wife win elections to the post of Mukhia or village council chief.

The accused wanted to generate sympathy in favour of his wife but before that could happen he landed in the police net.

Police said the accused, Phuleshwar Yadav, had fielded his wife from Salahpur village council in Siwan district.

On Saturday, the woman candidate Phulpati Devi was to file her nominations but shortly before that news spread in the area that her husband had been “kidnapped” by her rivals. Instantly, a large number of villagers rushed to the local police station and angrily protested seeking his immediate recovery.

The news of the kidnapping left the officials in a tizzy who began an investigation to get leads about the possible kidnappers. The first lead came when his bike was recovered outside the village but this failed to help the investigating police.

In the course of investigation, the police kept tracking his mobile phone and then the entire truth was revealed. During investigation it was found that the accused had taken shelter in a hotel in Patna, some 130 km from his home, while leaving his bike abandoned in his town to create the impression of his kidnapping.

“The accused had staged his kidnapping to ensure victory of his wife contesting the village council polls. He has been arrested and jailed,” a local police inspector Pramod Kumar told the media on Sunday.

As per the planning drawn up by the accused, he would have been found in an unconscious state outside a police station after some days, and his recovery by the police would have created the impression that he was really kidnapped by his rivals to ensure the defeat of his wife, the accused told his interrogators. “This would have created a sympathy wave and his wife would have easily won the polls,” the police said.

The post of village council chiefs is considered very lucrative as they not only sign cheques with Block Development Officers (BDOs) but also appoint teachers, Aanganwadi Sevikas (rural child care staff) and health workers. The village council chiefs also control the development schemes in their respective areas and hence any construction of school buildings and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has to be routed through them.

Currently, the elections are being held to elect a total of 255,000 council representatives for various posts. They include 8,072 Mukhiyas, 113,307 council members and 8,072 village Sarpanchs who have limited judicial powers.

This year village council polls, however, have thrown up some interesting results with people from different walks of life getting elected as village council representatives at the grass-roots level. They include Rekha Devi, an MGNREGA worker and Arvind Kumar Mahato, who has an MBA degree.