A young homemaker from Nadia’s Nakashipara, allegedly locked up by her in-laws at an undisclosed site, was reportedly denied help by local police.

The woman’s brother claimed the on-duty officer of Nakashipara police told him on Wednesday that a complaint can only be taken if the victim “physically appears”.

On Thursday, the brother gave a written complaint before the Krishnagar district police chief and the Nadia district magistrate against Nakashipara police.

His sister eloped with a youth last December and married him, he said, but recently called him up to tell him her in-laws tortured her and kept her locked up.

The brother said: “The phone was probably snatched from her. I rushed to herin-laws’ home, but there was no one....”

On Wednesday afternoon, he went to Nakashipara police station. “The officer refused to take a missing diary from me... and said it can only be taken from the victim if she physically appears,” he said.

“He asked us to file a complaint under Section 498 of the IPC, which we said can be taken from the victim only. He did not request a general missing diary...,” said an officer.

The brother called it a “lie”.