Man held for stalking, attempting to kidnap girl

Nabi Hasan was arrested on Saturday from the neighbourhood after the girl’s mother saw her and alerted local residents.

A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stalking a 9-year-old girl and trying to kidnap her after “hypnotising” her in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, the police said on Sunday. The crime took place on April 30 and was captured on a CCTV camera, the police said.

A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stalking a 9-year-old girl and trying to kidnap her after “hypnotising” her in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar(HT File)

Nabi Hasan was arrested on Saturday from the neighbourhood after the girl’s mother saw her and alerted local residents. Police said they are interrogating Hasan to ascertain if he is associated with any syndicate involved in kidnapping and trafficking of children.

“A case under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 354 D (stalking) was registered after the girl’s family filed a complaint on Saturday. We have arrested the suspect and are interrogating him,” said Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (north).

The girl’s grandfather, who filed the complaint, told the police that on April 30, when he was sitting at a shop in the neighbourhood, he saw his granddaughter walking back home from school. Ten minutes later, he saw her walking in the lane and going out.

“I stopped my granddaughter and asked her where she was going. She pointed her finger towards a man and told me that she was going with him. I walked ahead but the man was gone. I enquired about him from her and she told me that he had been following her for the past two-three days,” the child’s grandfather said in his complaint.

The grandfather brought the girl home where she told her family members that the man was following her from school and asked about her parents’ whereabouts.

“When the girl told him that her parents were away, the man gave her a piece of paper. He hyptonised the girl using the paper and she started walking behind her. The same has been verified with the CCTV footage,” said a police officer associated with the case.