Newsroom24x7 Desk

Bhopal: Alert passersby and timely action by them helped in saving a minor schoolgirl from the clutches of serial sex offender in Bhopal – the capital of central Indian State of Madhya Pradesh the other day.

Saurabh Jain alias Sonu, against whom eight cases of sexual assualt have been registered earlier by different police stations in the state capital, was arrested here last week for abducting a young schoolgirl. The pedophile predator has already served a 4-year sentence in another case.

According to a Habibganj Police station officer, on March 25, at about 11 am, two sisters were returning home from the New Vidya Vihar School in the Chuna Bhatti area on Kolar Road, when the younger of the two, 4 year old Sunita (name changed), was kidnapped by Saurabh Jain, who was driving a Maruti Suzuki van. Some of those present, who saw the kidnapping incident, raised an alarm and also chased the vehicle involved in the crime. The culprit, realizing that he would be caught, dropped the girl at an isolated spot near Kaliasot dam and fled away.

On studying the closed circuit TV footage of the camera installed at the Chuna Bhatti square, the police noticed a Maruti van turning from the wrong side. On checking its registration number, the Police found that it was registered in the name of Saurabh Jain, resident of lakherpura in old Bhopal city. He was engaged in supplying “khoya or mawa” (solid form of milk that has been boiled down). During interrogation, Saurabh admitted that he had committed the crime when he went to a deliver mawa at a sweatmeat shop. He told the police that he saw the two girls in their school uniform and at once decided to kidnap one of them. He stopped the van near the girls and picking up the younger one sped away.

Besides different Sections under the Indian Penal Code, the Police is also taking action against the accused under the National Security act (NSA)