India: Uttar Pradesh woman elopes with beggar, leaving behind husband and 6 children

Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh): A 36-year-old woman has abandoned her husband and six children to elope with a beggar, leaving her family and the local community in shock, according to reports in Indian media.

The incident has sparked a police investigation, with authorities confirming they are on the lookout for the beggar, identified as 45-year-old Nanhe Pandit, NDTV said on Tuesday.

According to reports, the husband, Raju, filed a complaint under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a section dealing with kidnapping and abduction.

The law stipulates severe penalties for anyone who abducts a woman with the intent of forcing her into marriage or illicit relations.

Raju, 45, narrated a distressing account to the police.

Living with his wife Rajeshwari and their six children in Hardoi’s Harpalpur area, he claimed that Nanhe Pandit, who occasionally came to the neighborhood to beg, had formed a connection with Rajeshwari.

“Nanhe Pandit would often chat with my wife and even spoke to her on the phone,” Raju said in his complaint, the Times of India said.

On January 3, Rajeshwari told their daughter Khushboo that she was heading to the market to buy clothes and vegetables. Hours turned into an agonising wait when Rajeshwari didn’t return.

“I searched for her everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found,” Raju added. To his dismay, he also discovered that the money he had recently earned from selling a buffalo was missing.

“I suspect Nanhe Pandit has taken her with him,” he said, urging the police to take immediate action.

The police registered an FIR under Section 87 of the BNS and launched an investigation to locate both Rajeshwari and Nanhe Pandit. Senior officer Shilpa Kumari later confirmed that Rajeshwari had been found.

“We have recovered the woman, and we are currently recording her statement,” Kumari said. The hunt for Nanhe Pandit, however, continues, with authorities determined to unravel the full story behind this unusual escapade.

Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita under which the case has been registered is no minor statute. The law states that anyone who kidnaps or abducts a woman with the intent to compel her into marriage or illicit relations can face up to 10 years of imprisonment, along with a fine.

It also covers cases where intimidation, abuse of authority, or other coercive methods are used to induce a woman to leave her home for such purposes.