Udupi man accused of kidnapping college girl

Udupi man accused of kidnapping college girl

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, March 29, 2025: The Udupi Town police have registered a case against a youth of Kunjibettu in Udupi on the charge of kidnapping a 20-year-old engineering student, after her father from Kodavoor in Udupi filed a police complaint.

In the complaint filed on March 20, Godwin Devdas, 53, said his daughter studies at an engineering college in Moodbidri. On March 20, she got down from the college bus at Kukkikatte junction in Udupi at 6 p.m. While she was walking towards her aunt’s house, one person named Akram Mohammed kidnapped her on his motorbike. A bus driver, who saw it, called Mr. Devdas and informed him.  

Mr. Devdas said he had earlier filed a complaint against Mohammed accusing him of harassing her daughter when she was a minor. He alleged that Mohammed kidnapped his daughter now as revenge.

The police registered his complaint filed on March 20 under Section 140 (3) of the BNS.

Talking to reporters in Udupi on Friday, Mr. Devdas said his daughter is a victim of ‘love jihad’. Mohammed got in touch with his daughter through instagram and has been in contact with her for the past five years. Mohammed used to harass his daughter by threatening to release their intimate photos on social media, he alleged.

He also accused Mohammed of preventing his daughter from socialising with her friends. He further accused Mohammed of being addicted to drugs and alleged that he was associated with a criminal gang.  

Accusing the Udupi police of not taking further action on his complaint filed a week ago, Mr. Devdas said the police told him that they cannot do anything in case of two consenting adults. The police showed him a video of the couple living happily. “But I am concerned about my daughter’s safety,” he said.

Mr. Devdas has filed a habeas corpus writ petition before the High Court seeking direction to the Udupi Town police to produce his daughter before the High Court. This petition came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising judges V. Kameswar Rao and T.M. Nadaf on Friday, and it was adjourned to April 4.

Meanwhile, Mohammed has submitted an application for registration of their marriage under the Special Marriage Act. He has also filed an application under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita seeking anticipatory bail, before the Udupi Principal District and Sessions court. The court has posted it to April 2 for objections of public prosecutor.