On Monday, 19 January 2026, details of a stomach-churning act of vigilante violence surfaced involving Sonu, an 18-year-old from Bhopal, who was allegedly kidnapped and tortured for three days in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district.
The victim was allegedly lured to Puloro village under the pretext of meeting his girlfriend, only to be ambushed by her family.
For 72 hours, he was allegedly held captive, brutally assaulted, and forced to drink urine as an act of extreme humiliation. A video of the ordeal was reportedly sent to his family to intimidate them, leading to a swift joint operation by Bhopal and Rajasthan police to rescue him and initiate criminal proceedings against the accused.
Rajasthan Shocker
The nightmare began when Sonu, a resident of the Kolar area in Bhopal, received a call from a woman he was romantically involved with. Believing it to be a regular visit, he travelled across state lines to Puloro village in the Manohar Thana area of Jhalawar.
However, the meeting was a calculated trap set by the woman’s relatives who disapproved of the relationship. Upon his arrival, Sonu was intercepted by a group of men who immediately overpowered him.
Instead of a dialogue, the family chose a path of criminal abduction, dragging the teenager into a secluded location where his three-day ordeal of captivity began.
Dehumanising Torture
Once in the clutches of the girl’s family, Sonu was allegedly subjected to relentless physical violence. The perpetrators allegedly tied him up and used various blunt objects to beat him. In a particularly depraved attempt to strip the young man of his dignity, the family forced him to drink urine while filming the entire act on a mobile phone.
This specific form of humiliation is often used by vigilantes to assert dominance and permanently scar the victim’s psyche. The captors displayed a chilling lack of remorse as they continued the assault over several days, ignoring the victim’s pleas for mercy.
Police Intervention
The case took a turn when the family of the girl sent the recording of the torture to Sonu’s relatives in Bhopal. Their intention was to strike fear into Sonu’s family, but the move provided the police with crucial digital evidence.
Sonu’s family immediately approached the Kolar police station, prompting a high-level response. “We coordinated with our counterparts in Rajasthan as soon as the video surfaced,” stated a senior official from Bhopal.
A special team was dispatched to Jhalawar, leading to the teenager’s rescue. Sonu was found in a physically battered state and was immediately shifted to a hospital for medical treatment and forensic examination.
Legal Action
The Rajasthan Police have registered a comprehensive FIR against the identified members of the woman’s family. The charges include kidnapping, unlawful confinement, criminal intimidation, and voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons.
Authorities are currently conducting raids to apprehend all individuals visible in the viral video. The police have also seized the mobile phone used to record the incident for forensic analysis.
This case has sent shockwaves through the region, highlighting the urgent need for stricter enforcement against kangaroo courts and honour-based crimes that bypass the judicial system to deliver barbaric “justice.”
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that no cultural or familial “honour” can ever justify the complete dehumanisation of an individual. To trap an 18-year-old and force him to undergo such stomach-turning humiliation is a reflection of a deep-seated societal rot where violence is preferred over dialogue.
This incident is a direct assault on the rule of law and the fundamental right to life and dignity. We advocate for a society where individual choices are respected and where legal systems ensure that predators masquerading as protectors are severely punished.
