18-year-old woman escapes from abductors, 2 booked in Ludhiana

The alert Delhi-based woman, who was kidnapped while visiting Ludhiana, picked one of her captors’ pockets and used his phone to call for help on a moving bike; later, she raised the alarm, forcing the abductors to let her go

Exhibiting a keen presence of mind, an 18-year-old woman, who had been abducted by two bike-borne men, managed to steal the phone of one of her captors and call a relative for help, police said on Wednesday.

The Ludhiana police said the abductors had to let the teenaged woman go when she managed to raise the alarm and other commuters came to her rescue. (Representative Image/HT File)

One of the accused men has been identified as Jagdeep Singh of Haibowal, while his accomplice is yet to be identified.

The Delhi-based victim said she had come to meet one of her relatives at Inder Vihar Colony on Phambran Road on September 26. However, the relative had gone to pay obeisance at a shrine and asked her to meet at the Jalandhar Bypass.

Victim was waiting for her relative

While the victim was waiting for her relative, two bike-borne men turned up and used a drug-soaked piece of cloth to render her unconscious. They made her sit on the bike and started going towards Jalandhar, she alleged.

When the victim came to her senses, she tried to use her mobile phone to call for help, but the captors snatched and damaged her phone. However, she was able to pick the pocket of the man who was driving the bike and called her relative using his phone. However, the accused snatched the phone from her again.

When the woman and her captors reached Mehsampur village in Jalandhar district, the victim raised the alarm and some commuters rushed to her aid. The accused let her get off the bike and fled. Later, she called the relative using the phone of the people who had come to her rescue.

Victim says she was molested

The victim alleged that the men had molested her.

Inspector Gopal Krishan, station house officer, said the police have identified one of the accused by tracing her mobile phone.

A case has been registered under Sections 365 (non-bailable offence), 354 (use of criminal force to outrage woman’s modesty), 323 (cause hurt or provocation), and 34 (acts done by several persons) of the Indian Penal Code, against the accused who are on the run.

CCTV cameras captured incident

Different CCTV cameras also captured the incident. “The accused and victim were captured at a petrol pump. The accused were buying fuel for their vehicle, while the victim was standing on one side. Later, she herself sat on the bike. However, the girls said she was not in control of her actions as she had been drugged and did what the accused asked her to do,” the SHO said.