RAIPUR: An alleged attempt to abduct Padma Shri awardee and noted social worker Phoolbasan Bai Yadav was foiled in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district on Tuesday morning after a police team, conducting routine vehicle checking, stopped the car in which she was allegedly being taken away with her hands tied and mouth gagged.Police have arrested three persons, including two women, after one of the personnel recognized Yadav near Chikhli police outpost on the Rajnandgaon-Khairagarh road.According to police, the main accused Khushbu Sahu, a resident of Bemetara, reached Yadav’s house in Sukuldaihan village around 10.30am along with others. She allegedly told Yadav that a differently-abled woman seated in a car outside wanted to click a selfie with her. As Yadav stepped out and sat in the vehicle, the car sped away.The accused allegedly tied her hands and gagged her with a cloth to stop her from raising an alarm. When the car was stopped during checking, the accused tried to mislead police, claiming that the woman inside was suffering from epilepsy and was being taken to hospital.However, a policeman recognized Yadav and grew suspicious on seeing her condition. She was rescued immediately and the accused were taken to Sukuldaihan police outpost for questioning.Rajnandgaon CSP Alexander Kiro said preliminary investigation suggested that Sahu, who is linked to self-help groups, had been in contact with Yadav for the past four months. Police said that women’s SHGs in the Bemetara region were being mobilized in the name of employment training and money was being collected illegally.Police said the motive behind the alleged abduction would become clear after further questioning. They are also probing whether more persons or a larger racket was involved.Phoolbasan Bai Yadav, honored with the Padma Shri in 2012, is widely known for her work in building a large women’s self-help group movement in Chhattisgarh. Starting in 2001, she mobilized rural women to save small amounts and take up social empowerment initiatives. Her network now includes nearly two lakh women engaged in livelihood, social service, water conservation, environmental work and organic farming.
