The family members of the Dalit girl who was kidnapped after the murder of her mother at Kapsad village in Meerut district early this month have claimed that they were under house arrest and the police were pressuring them not to pursue the case against the accused.

Paras Som and Sunil Som, both belonging to the Rajput community, had allegedly hacked to death 50-year-old Sunita Devi and kidnapped her 20-year-old daughter on January 8. The police arrested Sunil from Meerut and Paras from Haridwar and recovered the girl. Sunita's husband Satyendra Kumar told reporters near his house on Saturday that the police had put them under house arrest.

"We are not allowed even to meet our lawyers. Our family members who had come here to see us were not allowed to enter the house. We suspect that they are also recording our phone calls.” He claimed some cops warned them against pursuing the case against Paras.