Shocking video captured the moment a Russian man kidnapped an 18-year-old woman in a medieval custom known as “bride stealing” – after she refused to marry him.
Three men are seen carting off Bella Ravoyan from an apartment building in the city of Tambov and placing her inside a car that took her to the Nizhny Novgorod region, East2West reported.
Her abductors have been identified by police as her rejected beau, 20-year-old Amik Shamoyan, his father, Oganes, 48, and brother Alo, 24.
“Amik was in love with this girl and they kidnapped her,” an acquaintance reportedly told the local gazeta news outlet.
“Bella’s father filed a complaint with the police, and she was returned back. Amik turned himself in to the police,” the person added.
The spurned man has confessed to the kidnapping, according to East2West.
Another video allegedly shows Bella’s furious dad laying waste to a cafe owned by the family of the alleged kidnappers as he brandishes a gun.
Oganes and Alo remain at large. All three men face up to 12 years behind bars if convicted.
The abduction has been described by some local media outlets as a medieval “bride stealing” custom still prevalent in parts of the country.
Some reports also suggested that Bella and Amik are related.
The Russian Investigative Committee said the two other suspects have been placed on the federal wanted list.
