12-hour hostage drama in Bhopal ended this evening with a twist rarely seen. The hostage-taker – a casting director – and the hostage – a model – told the police they want to marry.
At 6 this morning, 30-year-old Rohit entered the house of the 30-year-old model on the fifth floor of an apartment building in Bhopal’s Misrod area and bolted the door from inside. The woman had reportedly opened the door for him.
His demand: the woman should marry him. Rohit claimed the two knew each other from Mumbai where they earlier worked, and were in love. The only hiccup: the families were against their marriage. And that prompted Rohit to take this drastic measure, police said.
On hearing the commotion in the morning, the neighbours called the police, who tried to first force their way in, but were unsuccessful. Sub-inspector GS Rajput earlier in the day said he was attacked with a scissor by Rohit, when he tried to barge in. Rohit also had a country-made gun and claimed he would kill himself if his demand was not met.
From there, the police changed tact. They began talking to Rohit through video chat and even used a hydraulic lift of the fire brigade to approach the window of the fifth floor to try and talk to him. Amidst hectic negotiations, Rohit demanded food, water, a mobile charger and a stamp paper.
He could be seen flashing a victory sign from the heavily grilled window, and had even convinced the model to write down on the stamp paper that she would in fact marry him, police said.
It took two policemen and a sub-divisional magistrate hours to convince Rohit and let the police inside the apartment. Both Rohit and the woman have been taken for medical treatment.
“We have rescued the girl, her condition is stable. She has been sent for medical treatment. The man (who held her hostage) has also been sent for medical treatment,” said Superintendent of Police Rahul Lodha.
The police say they have counselled the two and told them there is nothing wrong in two consenting adults wanting to marry each other. However, it is not clear, what charges will be filed against Rohit, who was carrying a country-made pistol.
“We tried to take them in confidence. That if you want to marry each other… They felt if the administration wants to help us… we spoke to the woman as well,” said Sub-Divisional Magistrate Disha Nagvanshi.
