Three teenagers and a young man have been arrested on Tuesday for allegedly trying to kidnap a girl in a Mahindra Scorpio while she was returning home with a friend from a photocopy shop in their neighbourhood.
The incident happened in Rajarhat on Tuesday afternoon and was reported to police on Monday.
One of the arrested is a 25-year-old and three are 18, cops said.
According to the complaint, the two teenaged girls — both minors and students — were returning home from a photocopying shop on Sunday afternoon on a cycle when a Mahindra Scorpio started stalking them.
The road was deserted, which possibly encouraged the accused to commit the offence, an officer said.
“The cycle was forced to stop and two of the boys in the car tried to pull one of the girls into the car by her hand. The girls started screaming for help. The shouts alerted neighbours who came to their rescue. The Scorpio fled,” the officer said.
The mother of one of the girl’s filed the report with the local police station on Monday.
The police scanned CCTV footage near the spot and zeroed in on the vehicle. The accused were identified and picked up on Tuesday.
The four have been charged under sections of attempt to kidnapping and that of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
A senior officer of Bidhannagar police commissionerate said it was very important for girls to come forward and report any crime committed on them. “A large number of crimes against women go unreported. We always encourage people, especially women, to report any crime against them. There are stringent laws to punish people involved in crime against women,” said the officer.
One of the girl’s family was initially reluctant to lodge a complaint fearing social stigma and possible legal hassles that could follow, sources said.