Indore: Women turn saviour, save 8-yr-old from 'rapist'

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A woman's presence of mind saved an eight-year-old girl from a mishap in Kanadiya area on Saturday evening. A man who reached the area on the pretext of selling onions and potatoes on his handcart had taken the girl into the bushes and removed her clothes. The police have detained the accused and further investigations into the case are underway.

Kanadiya police station-in-charge Jagdish Prasad Jamre said the girl was playing with her friend in her colony on Kanadiya Road when the accused, named Shaharyar Mirza, who was selling onions and potatoes on his handcart, reached there and took the girl forcibly into the bushes in the area where he removed her dress. When the girl cried out for help, women of the area spotted the accused. When they raised an alarm, the accused tried to free the spot.

However, a resident named Aman Jain got hold of the accused. The accused was identified as Shaharyar, 50, a resident of the Khajrana area of the city. After that, the accused managed to flee from the clutches of the angry people. The police said he was arrested and further investigations into the case are underway.

The girl belongs to a middle-class family. She sustained an injury near her eye during the incident. People of the area and a Hindu organisation reached the police station and demanded strict action against the accused after the incident.

The police have registered a case under various sections, including abduction and the POCSO Act, against the accused.