Body of Abduction Suspect Found in Pond Following Mysterious Disappearance from Police Custody

Further investigation is underway, say officials. (Representational)

Bhadohi:

A 28-year-old man accused of abducting a teenage girl was discovered dead in a pond under mysterious circumstances on Sunday, police officials reported. The discovery came just one day after his clothes and an apparent suicide note were found near the location.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhimanyu Manglik, the body of Surya Bhan Yadav, son of a home guard stationed at the Gyanpur Kotwali police station, was recovered from a pond near Chakwa Mahavir on Sunday morning with assistance from divers.

The previous evening, authorities had found his trousers, belt, Aadhaar card, and a five-page note abandoned by the pond.

The case began on November 1 when a local woman filed an abduction complaint, claiming that Surya Bhan had kidnapped her 17-year-old daughter on October 27 while the girl was en route to computer classes.

Both the minor girl and Surya Bhan were located on November 19. Following the girl's medical examination and necessary procedural formalities, she was placed in a One Stop Centre.

The SP explained that Surya Bhan had been held in custody but allegedly left the lock-up, after which he was summoned again for questioning.

The deceased's father, Home Guard Sanjay Yadav, has leveled accusations of negligence against the police. He claimed he personally handed over both his son and the girl to authorities, questioning, "If he was in the lock-up since November 19, how did his body end up in a pond? The police are responsible."

According to SP Manglik, the purported suicide note recovered from the scene alleges that the girl's family falsely implicated Surya Bhan in the abduction case. The note also claims the minor had threatened to take her own life if he refused to remain with her.

"It appears he may have been distressed and ended his life, but the exact cause will be known after the postmortem," Manglik stated, adding that action would be taken if any police officer is found to have been negligent.

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