A 26-year-old veterinarian, who was called to treat a cow, was allegedly kidnapped and forcibly married off in Bihar’s Begusarai district.

Satyam Kumar Jha, a resident of Pidhauli village under Teghra police station, had received a call on Monday asking him to come to a neighbouring village to treat a cow.

He set out from his village around noon but did not return till late in the night. As his parents contemplated approaching the police, they received a video on their mobile showing Satyam being married to a girl in a temple. They realised that he had been abducted for pakadua vivah.

“Satyam went to Hasanpur village to check on some sick cattle around 12pm. He was kidnapped there and forcibly married to a girl. We still don’t know about his whereabouts,” Satyam’s father Subodh Kumar said.

Subodh approached Teghra police station and submitted a complaint accusing three persons for his son’s abduction and forcible marriage.

“The father of the missing boy has given a written complaint at the police station. We have asked the station house officer and other officers to conduct an investigation,” Begusarai superintendent of police Yogendra Kumar said.

However, some police officers said the Satyam’s abduction could be fallout of failed marriage negotiations or a love affair.

“We will look into all aspects of the matter and then take action. Right now, the priority is the recovery of the missing veterinarian,” a police officer said.

The police have taken a person into custody and he is being interrogated.

Pakadua vivah or groom kidnapping has been prevalent in Bihar since 1960s. It had decreased around two decades ago, but is rearing its head again. Suitable bachelors are taken hostage at gunpoint and married to eligible girls. Those with secure livelihood or government jobs are preferred.

Social experts said such marriages were a method to circumvent the prevalent dowry system in the state.

A junior manager at a public sector enterprise was kidnapped, thrashed and forcibly married to a woman in Patna district a couple of years ago. The matter came to light after videos of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the groom crying.