The girl with her mother. Her father expired in 2013.

(This story originally appeared in on Aug 17, 2017)

Sheer courage and presence of mind helped a13-year-old girl escape from the clutches of her kidnappers, who ab ducted her right from her school campus, in Ghatkopar on Monday.

The Class VII student of a school in Ghatkopar, Bhatwadi area, bit one of her three kidnappers and jumped from the auto in which they had huddled her in to flee.

Ghatkopar police have started a manhunt for the three men on the basis of the girl's statement.

According to police, the girl had left the classroom to visit the washroom, which was a little distance away but on the campus, on Monday when three men accosted her.

"Before she could realise what was happening, the men, their faces covered with handkerchiefs, caught her, dragged her for around 100 metres and then bundled her into an auto," said Venkat Patil, senior inspector of police, Ghatkopar police station.

Though the area was quite crowded, one of the men had clamped his hands on the girl's mouth, which prevented her from crying for help.

But near the Asalfa signal, the girl bit on the left hand of the kidnapper and jumped off the auto.

Though she suffered minor injuries, she ran to her aunt's house near by, police said. The aunt immediately called up her mother, who rushed to the spot and took her to the Ghatkopar police station.

"They covered my face and I couldn't see anything. They then took me in an auto but somehow when the auto stopped at a signal, I jumped off it after biting on one the man's hands," she said when Mirror contacted her.

On Tuesday, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the three unknown accused. The police are also verifying the victim's claims and are trying to procure CCTV footage of the area. "I visited the spot and found it to be crowded. Also, the lane is very narrow.As per the girl's statement, the incident took place around 3 pm. It's really unusual that no one spotted her being dragged into the auto. We are verifying everything," Patil told Mirror.

The girl also told the police that she could not see the auto's number.

"The girl stays with her mother, who does household chores. Her father expired in 2013," said a police officer from Ghatkopar police station.

Local corporator, Deepak Baba Hanade, visited the girl's house and congratulated her for her bravery.

"I congratulated the girl for her courage. The way she took on her kidnappers is remarkable. I told her that she should have shouted for help. But she is a brave girl, I am in touch with senior officers in Ghatkopar and they are waiting for CCTV footage to get a clear picture of the incident," said Hanade.

