Maharashtra: Auto driver held for attempting to kidnap minor sisters

An autorickshaw driver was arrested on Thursday for allegedly trying to kidnap two minor girls from Nilanga town of Maharashtra's Latur district, police said.

The accused Gauspar Hujur Shaikh (29) lured two minor sisters, aged seven and five, from outside their home at Bank Colony road in Nilanga town on Wednesday evening, an official said.

The accused soon sped his autorickshaw towards Hyderabad and seeing the deserted roads, the girls started crying for help, following which the vehicle was intercepted by a former Panchayat Samiti member who happened to pass by, the official said.

As the girls jumped out of the vehicle to safety, the accused managed to escape the scene, he said.

Acting on a complaint lodged by the girls' parents, the accused was arrested from Omerga (Chourasta) in Osmanabad district, the official added.