This section applies to all confinements automatically.

It applies only when there is a deliberate intention to hide the confinement or its location from concerned people or authorities, not to every case of wrongful confinement.

Indian Penal Code, 1860

Section 346

repealed

Wrongful confinement in secret

Whoever wrongfully confines any person in such manner as to indicate an intention that the confinement of such person may not be known to any person interested in the person so confined, or to any public servant, or that the place of such confinement may not be known to or discovered by any such person or public servant as hereinbefore mentioned, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years in addition to any other punishment to which he may be liable for such wrongful confinement.§

Why this exists

Secret confinement is especially dangerous because it stops family, friends, or the police from finding and helping the victim. This section punishes the extra step of concealment, recognising it makes the crime harder to detect and the victim more vulnerable.

Common misconceptions

Myth: This section applies to all confinements automatically.
Fact: It applies only when there is a deliberate intention to hide the confinement or its location from concerned people or authorities, not to every case of wrongful confinement.