In 2007, the Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor starrer ‘Jab We Met’ won hearts with its unique script, direction and acting. 18 years later, Indore has seen a strikingly similar storyline play out.
Shraddha Tiwari, a young woman ran away from home to marry her lover, Sarthak, but returned home a week later as another man’s bride.
On August 23, Shraddha, a resident of MIG police station area, left home to marry Sarthak. But when she reached the railway station, Sarthak didn’t show up and told her on the phone that he did not want to marry her. Heartbroken, Shraddha boarded a train without a destination in mind. A few hours later, she got off at Ratlam – a place made famous by ‘Jab We Met’ – lost and confused about her future.
It was at Ratlam station that Shraddha met Karandeep, an electrician who worked at her college in Indore. Seeing her sitting alone, Karandeep approached her and asked what had happened. After hearing her out, he advised her to return home and inform her parents.
But Shraddha was determined. “I left home to get married. If I go back unmarried, I cannot live,” she told him. Despite his repeated attempts to convince her, Shraddha stood firm. Finally, Karandeep proposed to her, and Shraddha accepted.
Shraddha and Karandeep travelled to Maheshwar-Mandleshwar and tied the knot. From there, they went to Mandsaur.
Meanwhile, Shraddha’s father, Anil Tiwari, had launched a frantic search and announced a reward of Rs 51,000 for anyone who could provide information about his daughter. He even hung her picture upside down outside their home to get the attention of passersby in the hope of getting some news of her.
On Thursday, Shraddha finally called her father and informed him that she was safe in Mandsaur. Relieved, her father asked her to stay in a hotel for the night and return home the next morning. But when some hotels refused to give the couple a room, he transferred money to Karandeep to buy train tickets.
Back in the city, Shraddha and Karandeep went to the MIG police station, where Shraddha recorded her statement.
Indore’s Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotia confirmed that both Shraddha and Karandeep are being questioned.
Anil Tiwari said that while he is relieved to have his daughter back, the family will keep Shraddha and Karandeep apart for 10 days. If, after that, Shraddha still insists on living with Karandeep, the family will accept the marriage, he said.
