Women rescued in two hours after being abducted by armed group in MP's Mandsaur; 7 held

Mandsaur, Sep 21 (PTI) A 23-year-old woman was abducted by persons armed with weapons in Mandsaur city in Madhya Pradesh before swift police action led to her rescue two hours later and the arrest of seven persons, an official said on Sunday.

At around 9:30pm on Saturday, some unidentified men and women entered Bhavsar Dharamshala in Kotwali police station limits brandishing illegal weapons and forcibly dragged the woman, who was practising garba ahead of Navratri festival, into a four-wheeler and abducted her, the official said.

"The incident created panic among women and children present there and caused fear in the area. Check posts were set up across the district. Four teams were formed. A team led by Kotwali station in-charge Pushpendra Singh Rathore rescued the woman within two hours in a joint operation with Shamgarh police," Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Meena said in a statement.

Seven persons, including two women, identified as Ramchandra Mehar, Kamlesh, Fakir Chand Mehar, Shambhulal Mehar, Dinesh Gurjar, Shyamabai and Manisha, were arrested and charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Arms Act for kidnapping and other offences, the SP said. PTI COR LAL BNM