Pune:
A couple who parked their vehicle in the vicinity of a village near the city was in for a rude shock when locals, who mistook them for thieves, began assaulting the man in the vehicle.
The drama unfolded at a village close to Rajgurunagar-Khed, 40 km from Pune.
The 23-year-old man was in for more trouble when the father of the girl with him filed a complaint of kidnapping with the police. The complaint was later withdrawn when the girl confessed to having gone with the man on her own free will.
Owing to the large number of dacoity cases in rural areas, the villagers were on high alert. A child informed them of a suspicious car that was parked on the road.
Frightened at the sight of the mob, the couple drove the vehicle towards Rajgurunagar with the villagers chasing them for an hour. The car was finally intercepted by the police. The young man was assaulted by the villagers, but the police managed to escort the couple to the Rajgurunar-Khed police station.
At the police station, the young woman confessed to having been on a date with the 23-year-old who was mistaken for a thief and her kidnapper.
Police Inspector S S More from Rajgurunagar police station said, "After the girl's father informed us that his daughter was kidnapped by an unknown person in his car, we broadcast the information over wireless sets. The couple was intercepted at Avasari Phata. It so happened that when they were in the car, there was huge commotion around them and people started coming towards them, mistaking them for thieves. The girl could not come out of the car to explain this to locals, who came charging towards them."
The officer said they had recorded the couple's statements.