Mumbai: 10-yr-old rescues herself from kidnapper by jumping out of van

Showing remarkable courage and presence of mind, a 10-year-old girl today thwarted a kidnapping attempt by jumping out of a moving van.

Showing remarkable courage and presence of mind, a 10-year-old girl on Friday thwarted a kidnapping attempt by jumping out of a moving van.

HT Image

The police later nabbed the 38-year-old kidnapper, a driver by profession.

According to Dongri police in south Mumbai, the girl was waiting for her school van outside her home in Char-nal area this morning. Raju Mehboob Khan drove to the spot in an Omni, and asked her to get in.

The girl initially refused, as it was not her usual school van, but he told her that it was a substitute vehicle as the regular van had a break down.

The girl got in, but realised something was amiss when Khan took a wrong turn. "Getting suspicious, the girl jumped out," said a police officer.

As on-lookers came to her rescue, a car driver chased Khan until he hit the CST-Chembur Freeway, and then alerted the Police Control room, giving them the van's registration number.

Police found the van abandoned in Chembur. "In the van we found a visiting card and when we dialled the number, the vechicle owner answered and confirmed that it was her van and it was with her driver," said the officer.

A police team went to her house looking for Khan. When he arrived there, the girl identified him which led to his arrest.

Khan has been booked for kidnapping and molestation, as well as under the `Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act'.