Bengaluru Kidnapping Attempt Ends in Multi-Vehicle Crash as Three Arrested

A 21-year-old woman was abducted from her residence in Bengaluru by a group allegedly sent by her family in Rajasthan, triggering a high-speed chase and a series of collisions that left six people injured. The woman, identified as Pooja, had married her 23-year-old partner, Om Prakash, nine months ago against the wishes of their families and had since relocated to the Agrahara Dasarahalli area of Bengaluru.

According to police reports, four men arrived at the couple's residence to abduct Pooja. As they fled the scene in a Hyundai Venue, the driver, identified by police as Saddam, reportedly began driving erratically after the victim started screaming. The vehicle collided with three to four two-wheelers during the escape, causing injuries to six bystanders. The injured victims, ranging in age from nine to 64, were identified as Prithviraj, Yashika, Amul, Mani, Jayalakshmi, and Santosh. Jayalakshmi, 57, sustained a head injury and remains under treatment in the intensive care unit.

Local residents intervened during the incident, chasing the SUV and eventually stopping the vehicle. Social media footage showed members of the public pulling the occupants from the car and assaulting them before police arrived. Three suspects, identified as Rakesh, 31, Karan, 25, and Ayan, 18, were taken into custody and subsequently arrested on charges of abduction and causing injuries to bystanders. The driver, Saddam, remains at large, though the released materials did not detail any formal police statement specifically outlining the ongoing search for him.

Investigators are currently examining the role of Pooja's paternal aunt in the abduction. Police suspect the aunt maintained contact with the victim following her marriage, which allowed the family to track her location in Bengaluru and coordinate the kidnapping attempt with the suspects. The Hyundai Venue used in the crime has been seized by authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.