(This story originally appeared in on Aug 24, 2017)

BENGALURU: A daring attempt by a group of unidentified miscreants, including a woman, to kid nap a 21-year-old engineering student fell flat after the victim used her presence of mind to save herself from the clutches of the gang whose motive remains unknown so far. The student has been identified as Ramya, a final-year engineering student of civil branch at Chamarajanagar engineering college and the daughter of Puttana, a resident of Uramara Kasalagere in Mandya district.According to police, Ramya was kidnapped after being taken for a ride in a Scorpio. When she realised she had been kidnapped, Ramya swerved the steering wheel of the SUV, making the driver lose control of the vehicle. The incident occurred on Wednesday near Nanjangud in Mysuru district.Ramya, in her complaint, said an unknown person had been calling her over phone for the last one week.Since his voice sounded similar to her uncle, who is working as a driver at Turuvekere bus depot, she thought it was her uncle Satish who had been making the calls. During the conversation, the unidentified person asked her to meet at Nanjangud. On Wednesday morning, he called again and it was decided that they would meet at the famous Nanjangud temple.At 10 am, when she was waiting for her uncle -or so she thought -near the temple, the miscreant called her again to inform that he was stuck in his friend's house and he was sending a vehicle to pick her up. In minutes arrived a Scorpio vehicle. An unknown woman introduced herself to Ramya and asked her to accompany them to the house where his uncle was staying. Both Ramya and the woman got into the SUV. When the vehicle arrived at Visvesvaraya Circle , the woman alighted, saying she would buy flowers and sweets.The driver quickly accelerated the vehicle and started driving towards Gundlupet, sending shivers down the spine of Ramya. When Ramya asked the driver to stop, he threatened to kill her. Realising that she had been trapped, she regained her composure and forcibly swerved the steering wheel of the vehicle.Taken aback by her sudden move, the driver lost control of the vehicle which barged into a nearby bush after running over a footpath. A crowd soon assembled at the spot.Scared, the driver fled the scene.Ramya lodged a complaint with the rural police station. It's not clear yet why she did not cross-check with her uncle's family if it was the same person who had been calling her from a different number.