Braveheart teen tames molester
TNN, The Times of India
March 24, 2008
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//Braveheart_teen_tames_molester/articleshow/2893075.cms

Shafiqul Sheikh preyed on unsuspecting women after dusk. He used the cover of darkness or a crowd to pounce on victims, stunning them momentarily. Before they knew what had happened, he would have molested them and vanished.

On Sunday, though, his luck ran out. For, he made advances at a girl who was unlike all the women he'd preyed on. Sanjana Acharya (name changed), a Class XII student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, was just as fearless as her father, an ex-brigadier. She caught Shafiqul by the collar and held him tight till police arrived.

The incident happened around 8.20 pm at Behala's busy No 14 bus terminus. Sanjana and mother Ratna were out shopping. They had just passed a crowd gathered around a Sreeleathers outlet when a scruffy man groped her.

Taken aback for just an instant, Sanjana reacted with ferocity. She let out a scream and lunged at the man. Realizing that she was unlike his other targets, Shafiqul attempted a quick getaway. He swerved to the left to avoid the girl's grasp and melt into the crowd beyond.

But he never made it. Before he could escape, Sanjana had him by the collar. "He was desperately trying to break free, but she just wouldn't let go," recalled her mother.

Businessman Indranil Roychowdhury, who was passing by, heard a girl scream and turned around to spot the unequal struggle. "A teenaged girl was trying to hold a man in his mid-30s. I thought he'd snatched a purse and rushed to her aid. It was only later that I learnt he had been up to much worse."

Roychowdhury first helped Sanjana pin the man down and then dialled the police. The cops arrived in minutes and bundled the accused into a vehicle.

"The police were really prompt in taking action. After hearing of the incident, they took him to the police station and put him behind bars," Sanjana said. On interrogation, Shafiqul revealed he hailed from Murshidabad and had been living in Behala's Dhalipara.

The Acharyas had recently settled down at Behala's Shakher-bazaar after Sanjana's father retired. Over the past few days, the family had read of stray incidents. But never did they think that it would happen to them.

"A fortnight ago, I read about Rs 5 lakh being snatched in broad daylight near the police station. That's when I realized that this area wasn't that safe. What happened to my daughter is shameful. Had it been anyone else, the man would have escaped. But we've reared our kids to take care of themselves. Today, Sanjana gave a good account of herself," said a proud Ratna.