Indian man kidnapped from friend's wedding and forced to marry woman at gunpoint

An Indian man was kidnapped at gunpoint from a friend's wedding, then forced to marry a woman that he had never met before, according to reports.

Indian police are investigating after a groom says he was abducted in the Nalanda district of north east India's Bihar state, near Patna.

In a video that was posted online, a man, said to be Bokaro Steel Plant engineer Vinod Kumar, can be seen crying as wedding nuptials are taking place.

Reports say the man was kidnapped from a friend's wedding before being made to perform traditional Hindu wedding rituals.

The forced marriage practice, known as 'Pakadua Vivah', is a tradition specific to the Bihar region, but the abductee is usually a bride.

With around 2,800-3,000 cases each year in India NDTV reported that it is typically performed by poor families who want a groom, but cannot afford a dowry, or to settle land disputes.

In the clip that has emerged online, the 29-year-old man can be seen crying while relatives shout: "We are only performing your wedding, not hanging you. Why are you crying loudly? Shut up".

Reports say that Kumar affirmed that the family of the girl he later married, "befriended" him at the wedding he was visiting, before dragging him outside and "thrashing" him.

It is not clear when the video was recorded. The Telegraph reported that Kumar's relatives were forced to go to the regional police after local police failed to help the family.

Local media reported that Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj. ordered officers to free the groom and the bride and her relatives are now on the run.

Kumar's brother, Sanjay, alleges that a local man, described as a gangster by local media, orchestrated the events on behalf of the bride's family, and another gangster possessed a gun at the ceremony.

In an interview with News18 the bride's brother, Umesh Prasad, denied that Kumar was forced into marriage, claiming it was a normal ceremony.