Mumbai: 8-year-old's presence of mind saves 4-yr-old from kidnap bid

Two unidentified men tried to lure a 4-yr-old girl with chocolates but when she refused to relent they forcefully picked her up and tried to flee; older boy’s screams alerted locals and kidnappers fled

Thanks to the presence of mind shown by the four year-old girl and her eight-year-old cousin, the duo foiled the bid of two unidentified men, of abducting her. The incident, wherein the accused tried to lure and kidnap the girl, the granddaughter of a retired police constable, occurred at the Tardeo police camp on March 27.

Officials from the Tardeo police station said that Gargi Bhogale, a junior kindergarten student, was returning home with her cousin Harsh Dhonde when the attempted kidnapping took place. Speaking to mid-day, Gargi’s mother Priya said, “My daughter had gone for her tuition classes with Harsh.

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While returning home, Gargi being a slow walker, lagged behind. Taking advantage of the situation, two men approached her and started asking her name.”

Stranger danger
Priya said that she had taught Gargi not to talk to or take anything, even chocolates, from strangers. “Since Gargi refused to disclose her name or even take the chocolates they were offering, the accused picked her up forcefully and were about to flee the spot.

However, when Harsh realised that Gargi had taken too long to catch up with him, he turned back to look for her. When he saw that the duo was taking her away, he raised an alarm. This scared the kidnappers and they fled the spot leaving Gargi behind,” Priya added, and raised concerns over the security arrangement within the camp.

An officer from the Tardeo police station said, “We have booked the unidentified accused under Sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. A manhunt has been launched to nab them.”

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