Man held for attempt to abduct 18-year-old woman on Katraj-Kondhwa Road in Pune

An attempt was made to forcibly carry off an 18-year-old woman in the Sukhsagarnagar area on Katraj-Kondhwa Road in Pune. The incident has shaken residents. Her friend and the people who gathered at the spot showed courage in time, averting a major tragedy.

According to the police, the arrested accused is Jitu Kishorilal Saroj, 30, a native of Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place around 6.30 pm on Saturday. The victim was waiting for her friend in front of Samarth Dairy in the Sukhsagar area. The accused arrived at the spot, molested her and tried to carry her off.

Describing the incident, the woman said: "I was waiting for my friend in front of Samarth Dairy in Sukhsagar around 6.30 pm on Saturday. He came there, walked around me and tried to carry me off. Just then my friend arrived and pushed him, and I fell down. I hurt my hand in the fall. Even then he kept pushing my friend away and trying to carry me off. Later people gathered there and tried to stop him, but he tried to hit them too. He was a stranger; I had never seen him. He should be severely punished. My friend arrived in time, so I was saved. Otherwise he would have taken me away."

After the woman screamed, her friend and local residents rushed to help. The people caught the accused and beat him up. During this, the accused smashed a man's mobile phone on the ground, breaking it.

A team from Bharati Vidyapeeth police station reached the spot on receiving news of the incident. The police took the accused, Jitu Saroj, into custody immediately. Further legal action in the case is under way.

After CCTV footage of the incident surfaced, the question of women's safety in Pune has been raised once again. There is considerable anger among people over the incident in broad daylight in a city like Pune.