In a shocking incident a day before Republic Day, a four-year-old child was abducted from his school bus by two armed bike borne assailants who intercepted his bus at GTB Enclave in east Delhi’s Shahdara area and shot at the bus driver.
The incident took place when the bus was heading to the child’s school on Thursday morning. It occurred amid the security agencies’ claims that there have been “ground-toair security arrangements” in the national capital in view of the India-ASEAN commemorative summit and Republic Day.
According to police sources, the bus driver was shot at by one of the accused when he tried to stop their abduction bid. “The incident took place at 7 a.m. when the school bus carrying about twenty children, including boys and girls, was overtaken by the bikeborne assailants who forced the bus to stop,” a senior police officer said.
The child, a class I student, was sitting in the bus along with his sister, also a minor, who tried to resist the assailants but could not succeed. The two accused abducted the child and took him away in their bike, according to eyewitnesses.
A senior police officer told The Statesman, “When we reached the spot, the bus driver was struggling for help and lying in a pool of blood. All the kids were terrified and some of them were crying loudly.
The driver was taken to a nearby hospital and has been under medical treatment.” Police sources later said the driver’s condition was “serious but stable and out of danger”.
The police have registered a case of abduction and attempt to murder in the GTB Enclave police station and have also registered charges under POCSO Act in this matter. They are understood to be probing this case from various angles including personal enmity.