Kerala girl nabs harasser after dramatic half-kilometre chase in Kattappana, aims to join Army
Seventeen-year-old Veena Saji chased a street harasser for over half a kilometre through Kattappana despite a knee injury, successfully detaining him with public help after he directed obscene remarks at her.
Seventeen-year-old Veena Saji chased a street harasser for over half a kilometre through Kattappana despite a knee injury, successfully detaining him with public help after he directed obscene remarks at her.
Seventeen-year-old Veena Saji chased a street harasser for over half a kilometre through Kattappana despite a knee injury, successfully detaining him with public help after he directed obscene remarks at her.
"He should never have the courage to verbally abuse a young girl and simply walk away." This resolute determination drove 17-year-old Veena Saji to chase a harasser for over half a kilometre through the bustling streets of Kattappana before handing him over to the police, despite suffering a knee injury during the pursuit.
The incident unfolded at around 7.30 pm on October 21 when Veena, a resident of Chapath, accompanied her parents, Saji and Bindu, to the local market in Kattappana. As they entered the marketplace, an unidentified man began directing inappropriate comments at Veena. Although her parents advised her to ignore the man and move on, the harasser continued to shadow the family. When they finished shopping and prepared to leave, the man made obscene remarks once again.
Refusing to back down, Veena confronted the individual. The man attempted to flee by jumping into a parked autorickshaw. Undeterred, Veena rushed ahead and blocked the vehicle, demanding that he step out. When he disembarked, he hurled verbal abuse at her mother and attempted to walk away nonchalantly.
"Seeing him act as if nothing had happened made me decide to go after him," Veena recalled. The suspect sprinted from the market area towards the new bus stand via Idassery Junction. Veena relentlessly followed him over half a kilometre. She managed to grab him near the entrance of the bus stand, but the man violently pushed her to the ground and took off again.
Despite sustaining a painful knee injury in the fall, Veena refused to give up. Getting straight back to her feet, she resumed the pursuit and cornered him inside the busy bus terminal. Local shopkeepers and commuters, witnessing the struggle, quickly stepped in to restrain the suspect. Police were notified immediately and arrived at the scene to take him into custody.
Veena, a Plus Two student at a private college, moved to Chapath from Ponkunnam with her family a year ago. Her remarkable resilience and physical stamina are no coincidence — she aspires to join the Indian Army and has been undergoing rigorous training at a preparatory academy for the past six months. For Veena, stopping the harasser was not just about self-defence, but ensuring that public spaces remain safe for every woman.