Bolangir/Tarbha/Sonepur: A newlywed bride was allegedly abducted at gunpoint while returning home with the groom after their wedding in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The groom, Haribandhu Putel, alias Rinku, of Kamakhi Nagar in Bolangir town, had married Chandini, alias Rashmi, of Rathapada under Kantamal police limits in Boudh district earlier Saturday.
According to police, the couple was travelling in a decorated car after the ceremony when armed assailants waylaid their vehicle near a bridge on the outskirts of Tarbha town around 3 am.
The attackers, who arrived in a Maruti Vitara Brezza, allegedly brandished firearms and sharp weapons, threatened the groom and other occupants and forcibly took the bride away before fleeing in their vehicle.
A case has been registered at Tarbha police station in Subarnapur district. A special team has been formed to trace the woman and identify those involved.
Police said neither the bride nor the suspects had been located till fi ling of this report. Sources said the wedding procession had travelled from Kamakhi Nagar to Rathapada earlier in the day, and the ceremony was conducted as per traditional rituals without incident.
The couple left for Bolangir late at night. Speculation among locals suggests the abduction may be linked to a prior love affair.
Some residents alleged that a youth from the Kantamal area, along with associates, planned the act after the woman married another person.
Police have not confirmed this angle and said the probe is underway.