Bihar Congress MLA: Woman surfaces at SSP's office, claims she was not kidnapped

Patna, Jan 29: In a major twist to the case of a Congress MLA allegedly kidnapping a 20-year-old woman, the latter today turned up before the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna along with the MLA's driver Pankaj, whom she introduced as her boyfriend.

The woman, identified as Nidhi, appeared before Patna SSP Manu Maharaj this afternoon with Pankaj Sharma, the driver of Congress MLA Siddarth Singh.

The SSP confirmed appearance of the woman with her friend and said Nidhi claimed she has been in a relationship with Pankaj for the past two years.

The SSP said the woman further claimed that she had fled with Pankaj and was not abducted as projected by her father. The two also told the police they had married last night. "The police will record statement of the two and send the woman for medical examination," the SSP said.

Talking to mediapersons outside the SSP's office, the woman accused her father of marrying her off to a 50-year-old man against her wish.

When she resisted, he lodged an FIR against Bikram MLA Siddarth Singh, she alleged. Asked about role of the MLA in her escape from home, she told reporters the MLA had no role and she in fact did not know him.

Abhay Singh, a resident of Sonkukra village, complained that the Congress MLA from Bikram constituency had yesterday morning kidnapped his daughter from their village.

On the basis of the complaint, an FIR has been registered under Section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the IPC at Masaurhi police station.

With the incident triggering a controversy, the Congress MLA is still in hiding and did not take calls. State Congress chief and minister Ashok Choudhary today said law would take its own course in the case. He said if the MLA was found accused of violating law, police would take action impartially.

PTI