Engineer seeks ‘abducted’ wife’s return

Mumbai: An ITI-trained assistant engineer from Mankhurd has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Bombay high court (HC), seeking directions to the Vashi police and other respondents, including the Mumbai commissioner of police and the Mangalore police, to produce his wife in court and decide if she will stay with him or her parents.

The petitioner, Iqbal Chaudhary, married his Facebook friend Reshma, who was from Mangalore and belonged to another religion, in July 2017. On December 17, four unknown persons allegedly abducted Reshma near Orbit Mall in Vashi.

Mr Chaudhary suspected his in-laws could be behind the kidnapping and so he filed a complaint with the Vashi police. According to him, instead of finding her, the police started questioning his religious beliefs and whether he had ever visited the controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik, following which he approached the high court.

On Sunday, he received a phone call from his wife, saying that she was at a relative’s house in Kerala.

“It was a very short conversation in which she informed me that she has been kept at a relative’s house in Kerala but is not aware about the exact location,” Mr Chaudhary told The Asian Age. He has informed the police about this. “I had informed the police about the call in the morning but till now I have not received any communication from them,” said Mr Chaudhary.

“We have filed the petition and will mention it before the vacation bench of the Bombay high court,” said Hasnen Kazi, Mr Chaudhary’s lawyer.

According to petition the couple met on Facebook in 2011 and fell in love with each other. They got married in July this year. The same month Reshma’s parents visited Mr  Chaudhary’s house along with police.

The Mankhurd police recorded Reshma’s statement and let the couple go. On the same day and on July 27, Reshma filed a complaint against her father, stating that he had threatened to kidnap her.

In August, Mr Chaudhary filed a complaint with local police saying four armed persons had barged into his house after breaking open the door, but fortunately the couple was saved. But on December 17, some unknown persons abducted Reshma.

According to the petitioner, instead of focussing on finding his wife, the cops started asking him questions like, “Why have you chose Reshma only from many friends? Who told you to marry her? Do you know Zakir Naik? Have you gone to the office of Zakir Naik? What is your belief? How many time you offer namaaz? etc.” It was after this that Chaudhary approached the HC to find his wife.