Class-4 girl escapes abduction bid in Kollam, woman held

Class-4 girl escapes abduction bid, woman held
Jasmine (left and right) was heading to a shop when a vagabond woman (centre) tried to abduct her.

Kollam: Giving credence to widespread rumours of child-lifters on the prowl, a few bids to kidnap children have been reported from a few places across Kerala in the recent months. A Class-4 student escaped an abduction bid by a vagabond woman at Karunagappally in Kerala's Kollam district the other day a month after a similar vain bid in Kottayam district targeting an infant lying in the cradle.

On Thursday morning, Jasmine was heading to a shop when a vagabond tried to abduct her. But she managed to escape, and the local people caught hold of the woman and handed her over to the police.

Jasmine got out of the house to buy biscuits from a nearby shop for her younger sister around 9am on Thursday.

According to the Jasmine’s statement to the police, the woman, who came up from behind, caught hold of the girl's hand and told her 'Come with me child, let's go'. The girl, who freed herself, ran to a nearby house and sought help. The woman then tried to flee, but the onlookers stopped her.

The woman, who was making contradictory statements, claimed that her name was Jyothi and that she was a native of Pollachi in Tamil Nadu.

The woman appeared to be around 60 years old. She claimed that a person named 'Mayilannan' had brought her in a lorry. And that a doctor had told her he would give money if she brought him a child.

Based on a complaint by Jasmine's mother and teachers, the police have begun a probe into the incident.

She and her sister are students of SNUP School at Thurayilkunnu in Karunagappally.

It would be ascertained if the woman was mentally stable. She would be presented in court once we get the medical report, the police said.

In January, another gypsy woman's bid to abduct a two-month-old baby from the cradle failed after its alert mother raised an alarm. This incident was reported from K S Puram near Kaduthuruthy in Kerala's Kottayam district. Though the police and local people conducted searches for hours, the gypsy could not be located.

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