Watchman blows whistle, saves minor girl from being raped in Ahmedabad

It was a watchful guard’s timely move that saved a teenage girl from being gangraped. Two boys were caught trying to rape a 14-year-old girl under the Narmada canal bridge, on Friday afternoon.

The girl was, however, rescued when Viram Rabari, 50, a watchman who is stationed at the canal, saw the boys trying to rape the girl and called for help.

On hearing his voice, people in the nearby area rushed to the spot, caught hold of the boys and started beating them. However, one of them escaped. Later, a DNA reporter, who rushed to the spot, called the police and informed them about the episode. The police reached after a while and took the apprehended boy into custody.

Preliminary investigation into the case revealed that the girl is a domestic help and was on her way to a bungalow in Chandlodia on Friday afternoon when the two boys offered her a lift.

Under the pretext of dropping the girl to her destination, the boys took her to the marshes near the Narmada canal, MJ Solanki, PI, Adalaj police station, told DNA. Solanki also said that one of the boys, whom the police managed to arrest, is a minor. The other accused is still on the run; the police are trying to track him down, he added.

Gandhinagar DSP Piyush Patel told DNA that the moment he received a call from someone informing about the crime, he sent a team of police to the spot. The police have recorded the statements of key witnesses in the case, including Rabari.    

“The watchman was very alert and shouted for help as soon as he saw the two boys forcefully taking the girl to the canal,” a police source said.