Pune (Maharashtra), June 2: In an exemplary display of courage and bravery, an eight-year-old girl not only foiled an alleged attempt by a soldier of the Indian army to sexually molest her in a running train in the wee hours on Tuesday but also provided his description to local police that helped arrest the culprit.
The daughter of a former army man fought back a 33-year-old Army jawan who tried to sexually assault her in the toilet of the train. He even threw her on the tracks to hide his evil attempt but the brave girl not only survived but also described the soldier to the police that later led to his arrest.
The alleged incident occurred on the Goa-Nizamuddin Express between Lonand and Salpa railway stations in Satara district (located in the Western state of Maharashtra in India), said a local police officer.
The police said that the accused, identified as Prabhu Malappa Uphar, allegedly picked up the girl while she was fast asleep on her berth and took her to the toilet.
The girl woke up and resisted his advances and started shouting as the accused was trying to sexually assault the girl, the police said. The accused then told the girl that he was taking her back to her parents, but after coming out of the toilet, he pushed her down the moving train.
"Fortunately, the train was moving slowly due to the Ghat section (hilly area) resulting in her getting less grievous injuries. Some locals spotted her lying on the railway tracks and took her to a hospital," said the official.
While undergoing treatment for her injuries, the girl not only narrated the ordeal but also described the soldier to the police which proved crucial.
The police launched a search operation on the train and ordered that no one should get down from the train. At least 400 police and GRP constables boarded the train at various stations to ensure that the accused was not able to flee.
During the search, police identified at least 30 passengers whose description matched with the suspect.
"We short-listed four suspects out of the 30 and finally identified Uphar. He was apprehended when the train was near Bhusaval in North Maharashtra," the officer said.
The girl, who sustained injuries on her legs and under the chin, was later reunited with her family. Uphar is a jawan of Naik rank and posted in Jhansi in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh.