Outrage guts 30 hutments in Ahmedabad

A mob in Juhapura area set ablaze a slum locality of rag pickers near Fatehwadi after they suspected a woman of kidnapping a girl from the area. 

However, no one was injured in the arson, as the rag pickers made a quick escape. According to the Vejalpur police, more than 30 hutments were completely burnt in the fire.

In an incident that was similar to the one that happened on Thursday, an unidentified woman tried to kidnap a 7-year-old girl named Arifa Hanif Malek from Juhapura on Friday. However, the girl, studying in standard III in New Age Primary School in Juhapura, showed good presence of mind and escaped from the woman's clutches.

Arifa lives with her uncle Ghulam Mohammad and aunt Shamim Banu at Husaini Park in Juhapura. As Arifa's mother is expecting another child, Arifa was sent to her mother's village.

Since it was Friday, the school was open from 10 to 1pm. When Arifa was going towards her school at 10am with one of her friends, a woman approached her and held Arifa's hand.

Describing the woman, Arifa said, "She was wearing a white dress and held a plastic bag in one hand. When I asked her to leave my hand, she refused and tightened her grip. I struggled and managed to run towards the school." After Arifa reached school, she told her story to a teacher, who took her to her aunt's place. Ghumal Mohammad and his wife took her to the Vejalpur police and explained the incident to the cops.

Meanwhile, upon learning about the incident, the locals began a search for the unidentified woman. Some locals suspected that the woman was among the Bengalis or Bangladeshi rag pickers living near Fetehwadi opposite Vishala Hotel.

The mob alleged that these Bengalis or Bangladeshis are behind all the kidnappings that are taking place in the area. As the mob searched for the woman, someone set ablaze one of the dwellings. The fire gutted more than 30 dwellings.

However, the police and locals are still unclear about who was behind the kidnapping attempt.  Fire officials rushed to the spot and doused the fire at 1:20pm. No one was hurt in the fire.

Another theory suggests that some local miscreants are behind the arson, as they want to capture the slum land on which these rag pickers have built their dwellings.

The area is approximately 3,000 sq yards and worth crores due to its proximity to the main highway. According to sources, when these miscreants saw this incident as an opportunity to capture the land, they joined the mob and set ablaze one of the dwellings.