Source reports abduction of bride by deputy in Ingushetia

In the Malgobek District of the republic, a deputy has abducted a girl in order to marry her. The conflict situation was settled by elders; the abductor and his accomplices will be fined.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in April 2017, the Ingush Parliament brought a bill to the State Duma of Russia on criminal responsibility for kidnapping (abducting) a person with the aim to force him/her into marriage. Zelimkhan Evloev, the initiator of the bill, who is the Speaker of the Ingush Parliament, has suggested punishing a bride abductor with three years in prison. The head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Evkurov, spoke out against the bill, stating that kidnapping of a person is already prosecuted by the Criminal Code.

According to preliminary data, the abducted girl held the position of the chief physician of the Malgobek District Hospital, the "Interfax" reports. The conflict has already been settled; the wedding is scheduled for the next Sunday, the "Echo of the Caucasus" reports.

The abductor will have to pay a fine of 200,000 roubles in favour of poor people in the central mosque; and his accomplices will have to pay the fine of 100,000 roubles each, otherwise they face a threat of expelling from the teip (family clan).

The incident triggered a great resonance in the region, as earlier the MPs of the Ingush Parliament themselves were in favour of toughening the punishment for bride abduction and the eradication of the ancient Caucasian custom.