Udupi: Suspected kidnapping turns out to be rescue operation

Udupi: A man being taken to psychiatric rehabilitation was mistaken to be a case of abduction, creating fears in public on Saturday.

A team of four waylaid a man near Sri Krishna Matha in Udupi on Saturday, September 10 and forcefully took him away. Locals, who witnessed the incident, alerted the police control room about the possible kidnap after which an operation was immediately launched to trace the car. With the help of CCTV cameras, the car was found to be moving towards Mangaluru.

After a chase, police managed to stop the vehicle near Kulur in Mangaluru and detained four individuals.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the detained individuals were doctors. They were escorting the man, identified as Yogish Bhat (54), who had escaped from a psychiatric rehabilitation facility in Bengaluru on September 8. After his escape, Bhat had been living at a relative’s house in Udupi.

The relatives had relayed his whereabouts to the facility, which had arranged for the man to return to the facility.

On verifying the facts of the matter, the police let the team escort the man back to Bengaluru. No case has been filed in this regard. But, the incident created a sensation among the public for some time.