A 25-year-old constable, Sandhya Bhardwaj, who was all set to marry fellow constable Atul Sharma in an arranged match, eloped on Saturday night, a day before the ceremony in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.

A 25-year-old constable, Sandhya Bhardwaj, who was all set to marry fellow constable Atul Sharma in an arranged match, eloped on Saturday night, a day before the ceremony in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut. Invitations had been sent, preparations wrapped up, and both families were ready for the celebrations.

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Bhardwaj, a resident of Akbarpur Sadat village in Meerut’s Bahsuma region, escaped her home without a trace.

Her father, Subhash Sharma, approached police on Sunday, alleging that his daughter had been abducted by 28-year-old Ankit Chauhan, a history-sheeter with nine criminal cases, including robbery and murder, to his name. Bhardwaj had taken 20 days’ leave from her posting at the cyber police station in Aligarh to return home for her wedding.

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"On Feb 5, Chauhan threatened the groom over the phone, saying he would kill him if he married my daughter. On Saturday night, he abducted her," Sharma alleged in his complaint.

An FIR was promptly registered against Chauhan under BNS sections 87 (kidnapping) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).

However, the case took a dramatic turn within hours.

Police tracked Bhardwaj down in Buxar, Meerut, within eight hours of the complaint. But when confronted, she firmly denied being kidnapped. Instead, she told officers she had left home voluntarily.

Police revealed that Bhardwaj had known Chauhan for several years. "She met him during visits to her aunt's house in Dhikoli village, from where Chauhan hails," said Mawana circle officer (CO) Pankaj Lavania.

Police confirmed that Chauhan's record includes multiple cases of loot and murder. In May last year, he was arrested after a police encounter linked to a liquor shop robbery and was recently released on bail.

Meanwhile, the stunned groom called off the wedding.

SP (rural) Abhijeet Kumar said she would soon be produced before a court.