In yet another glaring instance of the anti-social elements defying police, a miscreant on Monday morning tried to abduct a young girl at knifepoint from near her hostel in the bustling Acharya Vihar area, just 500 metres from the Sahid Nagar police station.
The incident came to the fore on Tuesday.
The victim had arrived here from Rayagada and was waiting for someone to open the hostel main gate when the miscreant wearing a helmet approached her and tried to abduct her by brandishing a knife.
The courageous girl resisted and screamed for help while the miscreant dragged her till some distance. However, the antisocial fled from the spot on a two-wheeler sensing that people have become aware of the commotion.
The incident was captured on a CCTV camera installed outside the hostel. Following this, the girl lodged a complaint with the Saheed Nagar police station.
In her statement, the victim told police that around three- our people in a car at also followed the motorcycle. The men in the vehicle might be involved in the incident, she suspected. The police are investigating into the incident and scrutinising the CCTV footage to indentify the culprit. The incident has sent shockwaves among the residents, who have questioned the safety of women in the State capital.