GURGAON: An FIR was filed against BJP councillor Naresh Kataria and his wife Raj Bala Kataria after they were accused by their daughter of holding her captive at their home and pressured to marry against her wishes a day before her scheduled wedding. Neha Kataria also alleged the family had taken away her cellphone.Unable to seek help directly, Neha on Wednesday managed to send a complaint via email to Sector 9 police station, Haryana CM, police commissioner, DCP, and the state women’s commission. Acting on the email, a police team reached her house at Sector 9 and rescued her. Police said the girl had been kept at home for several days while preparations were under way for her Dec 4 wedding to a man named Nikhil.

Neha told the police that she wished to marry Abhishek, with whom she has been in a relationship for 15 years. Police said Neha underwent a medical examination before further procedures. In her complaint, she stated, “I fear for my life from my family members”. She recorded her statement in the presence of a legal advisor, emphasising that she approached the police of her own volition. A senior police officer has confirmed an FIR was registered against Kataria, the BJP councillor of Sector 9, after rescuing Neha from her home. “After receiving the information, we immediately sent a team to her rescue. Her marriage was scheduled for Thursday, but we could not allow that to happen. She has been placed in a safe house. No arrests have been made so far, but action will be taken after the investigation,” he said. The officer also said the charges against the girl’s parents are bailable. Despite multiple efforts by TOI, Kataria couldn’t be contacted. Sources indicated that relatives had assembled at Kataria’s residence for his daughter’s wedding. “Kataria arranged for his relative’s daughter to marry Nikhil after his own daughter declined the marriage, leading to the case being filed,” another police officer said. A case has been registered under BNS sections 127(4) (wrongful confinement) and 3(5) (act done by several persons) against Kataria and his wife at Sector 9 police station.