Meerut murder-abduction case: Accused nabbed in Haridwar; girl rescued

After a massive two-day hunt and political outrage over the murder of a Dalit woman and the abduction of her daughter from Meerut village, the accused was captured in Haridwar on Saturday evening, January 10, 2026.

According to Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada, the girl along with the accused Paras Som were also rescued safely during a joint operation conducted by Meerut and Saharanpur police.

The incident took place in Meerut’s Kapsad village on Thursday, January 8, 2026, when a woman was seriously injured while trying to save her 22-year-old daughter from alleged kidnappers, triggering caste tension. When the mother succumbed to her injuries on Thursday evening, Dalit activists and relatives of the victim demanded bulldozing action against the accused, who hails from the Rajput community.

The family refused to cremate the body and agreed only after hours of negotiations with the administration and political leaders.

political struggle

The incident sparked political conflict between the ruling party and the opposition. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that mother and daughters are not safe in UP under BJP rule.

Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) MP Chandrashekhar Azad is detained by police personnel during a protest after he was stopped by the police on his way to meet the family of the Meerut murder-kidnap victim at Kapsad village in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, January 10, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI

On Saturday, January 10, 2026, delegations of opposition parties, including Samajwadi Party, Aazad Samaj Party (ASP) and Congress, were stopped from going to Kapsad.

Opposition party leaders accused the administration of taking sides as former Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som was allowed to enter the victim’s house.