Guwahati: Locals in Nalbari foiled an attempted abduction of a schoolgirl on Tuesday morning, and captured two suspects who were later handed over to police after being beaten by an angry crowd.The incident occurred near Sariahtali, close to Nalbari town, when a schoolteacher was taking his 7-year-old daughter to her school on a bicycle. Two men allegedly stopped them on the highway and tried to snatch the child. When he resisted, one of the assailants attacked him with a sharp weapon.However, residents and e-rickshaw drivers rushed to the scene and overpowered the suspects, identified as Jahidul Ali and Vivek Gupta, both residents of Guwahati. The duo was initially treated at a hospital in Nalbari before being taken into police custody.“I was taking my daughter to school when one of them put a knife to my neck. I fell from my bicycle and they tried to lift my daughter away. I shouted for help, and people nearby caught them,” the teacher recounted. He sustained minor injuries in the attack.Police said an investigation was underway to determine the motive behind the attempted abduction.However, one of the accused, Jahidul, denied involvement, claiming that Vivek knew the teacher. Vivek, who suffered serious injuries, was reportedly referred to Guwahati for further treatment.The child, visibly shaken, told reporters that the men had lifted her off her father’s bicycle before locals intervened.
