9-year-old girl foils motorcyclist’s kidnap bid in Vishrantwadi society

PUNE: A motorcycle rider with his face covered with a handkerchief tried to kidnap a nine-year-old girl from the gates of a housing society in Vishrantwadi late on Saturday evening, but the minor raised an alarm and managed to rescue herself.

Later in the night, the girl’s mother lodged a complaint with the Vishrantwadi police. The names of the girl and her mother have been withheld by TOI on police request.




Sub-inspector Abhijit Chougule said, “The girl was playing with her friends on the premises of a housing society, adjacent to the one she resides in. The incident occurred at 7.20pm on Saturday,” he said.

Chougule said the motorcycle rider stopped his two-wheeler near the society’s gates and called the girl towards him. “He asked in which class she studied in and in which school,” he said.

“The girl was about to tell him the name of her school when the suspect grabbed her hands. He pulled the girl towards him and tried to pick her up,” Chougule said.

“The girl suspected something wrong and raised an alarm. As she screamed at the top of her voice, the suspect lost his grip on her hands. The girl rescued herself and rushed towards the parking area of the society,” he said.

The police said the motorcyclist sped off after the girl managed to rescue herself from his clutches.

Chougule said the girl was a Standard IV student of an English school in Vishrantwadi. Her mother and father are a working couple. They are employed in a software company. “Her parents were present at home when the incident occurred,” he said.

The society has CCTV surveillance and the incident has been recorded by the cameras. Chougule said the police were hunting the motorcyclist based on the CCTV footage. “The society where the girl was playing does not have a watchman,” he said.

Chougule said, “The girl narrated the incident to her mother after reaching home. Her parents immediately decided to file a complaint with the police,” he said.

The police have registered a case of attempt of kidnapping against the motorcycle rider under the provisions of sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping) and 511 (attempt) of the Indian Penal Code.