Abducted woman rescued in JK's Kathua

A woman, who was allegedly abducted along with her husband soon after their marriage last month, has been rescued and united with her family in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Saturday.

Her husband was rescued a few days ago.

The tribal couple, Shoukat Ali and Jeelu, had reportedly gone missing on August 16, after they solemnised their marriage in a court against the wishes of the woman's family.

The family of the youth lodged a complaint with police in Kathua on August 25, alleging that the couple was kidnapped by the woman's relatives.

Soon after the couple's disappearance, several videos had surfaced on social media purportedly showing the man being tortured by his wife's relatives.

On August 27, the man was rescued by the police from a desolate place in Kot Ponnu village of Kathua district.

"Police recovered the kidnapped woman from Latti Dhoona village of Udhampur district on Friday...she was produced in a local court where she recorded her statement. Later, she was united with her legal heirs after completion of legal proceedings," a police official said.

No one was arrested in connection with their abduction so far, the official said, adding efforts are on to nab them.

Ali, a native of Manyari village in Kathua district, married Jeelu from his tribe on August 14 and sought protection from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court before their abduction.

Two video clips of nearly half-a-minute each surfaced soon after the disappearance of the couple and purportedly showed the man having been tied up with ropes in an open field and being tortured despite his fervent pleas for mercy.

Ali's father, through his advocate Shakeel Ahmad, had filed a petition in the high court which directed Kathua police to recover the kidnapped couple within stipulated time.

"The woman was handed over to her father-in-law Qazi Wali and united with her husband," Ahmad said. He said the case is slated for hearing on September 11.