Woman's cries for help, speeding SUV trigger late-night chase in UP

A video accessed by TOI purportedly shows the speeding SUV moving with its rear door open, while screams can be heard from inside

MEERUT: A woman's cries for help, a speeding SUV with its rear door open and a late-night chase by a concerned citizen triggered panic near Brahmpuri Metro Station in Meerut shortly before midnight on Tuesday.While police downplayed the incident, calling it a "possible domestic dispute" and stating that no written complaint had been received so far, a local resident who chased the vehicle for nearly 3 km narrated a more alarming sequence of events."I was returning home on my two-wheeler when I noticed a parked black SUV suddenly speeding away towards New Delhi. Its rear door was still open, and I could hear a woman screaming for help.

At the same time, a few people rushed out from the station shouting that the woman had been abducted," said Rohit Kapoor, a local trader.A video accessed by TOI purportedly shows the speeding SUV moving with its rear door open, while screams can be heard from inside. The footage was recorded by Kapoor during the chase.Kapoor said he immediately began chasing the SUV as the woman's screams continued and the vehicle sped away with the door still open.

"The SUV was moving too fast, and I could not keep up. I finally lost track of it near the Rithani area," he added. Despite the eyewitness account and the video, police ruled out a kidnapping attempt. "Initial findings suggest that the incident could be related to a family dispute, with an argument taking place inside the car. A woman, a man and a child were already travelling in the vehicle, which later headed towards Delhi," said SP City Vinayak Bhosle.