Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Apr 1: The personnel of the rural police station here have received a complaint of illegal confinement of a woman. Reportedly, she was kept in isolation by people who had promised to try to settle her family dispute. The policemen have registered the case.

Hemavaty, a resident of Panjikallu near here, has in her complaint, named Rajesh Panjikallu, Ramesh Panjikallu, Ravi Panjikallu, Gopal Bantwal, Abdul Razack, and Jayalakshmi Prabhu as the accused.

In the past, a family dispute between husband-wife duo of Hemavaty and Gangadhar had been referred to the police station, and after initial police investigation, Gangadhar had been remanded to judicial custody. Even as the case was pending to be settled, the accused reportedly brought Hemavaty in a Maruti Omni vehicle to an office in B C Road, on the pretext of holding discussions over the possibility of settling the dispute out of court. Hemavaty says that during these discussions, the accused posed her threats in an attempt to make her to come to terms with them, and coerced her into signing a blank bond paper. After observing that Hemavaty remained adamant in the face of their threats, they supposedly confined her for a prolonged period in the said office.

Station house officer of Bantwal rural police station, Mahesh Prasad, said that the policemen, after registering the case, are now trying to arrest the accused.

At the same time, it has come to light that two of the accused, Abdul Razack, and Gopal Bantwal, had in the past, posed as human rights activists and press persons, in order to blackmail certain government officials. They also exhibited the ‘Press’ sign in their vehicles to hoodwink the concerned, it is said. Some say that they have misled several persons including women, by posing as human rights activists. It is said that a number of people affected by their impersonation, are now planning to file complaints against them.