Mumbai: Spending a few hours watching Guddi -- a classic about how a schoolgirl (Jaya Bhaduri) falls in love with a movie star (Dharmendra), or rather his silver screen persona, and how her enthusiasm fades as she gets to know more realities of the reel world -- might have saved 14-year-old Pinky (name changed) a world of trouble. The teenager from Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, ran away from her house with a sum of Rs. 3,000 to meet her idol Salman Khan.
Unfortunately, once in Mumbai, she found herself lost in the middle of an unknown city with neither money to go back nor food to eat. The star-struck Class IX student disappeared from her home on February 23. Her father lodged a missing complaint with the local police. Even as cops had initiated investigations, on February 28, Pinky called home informing that she was safe in Bhopal.
Flight of fantasy
Police traced the call and found that it was in fact made from Mumbai. A team of cops arrived in the city, and after coordinating with RPF, Kurla police, found the person whose phone had been used. According to the police, the phone belonged to a tea stall owner outside Kurla Terminus. On inquiring, he revealed that Pinky, along with another man, had approached him on February 28 to make the call to her home. Police continued to trace the infatuated teen, while another team from Madhya Pradesh police was sent to Kolkata to find Pinky's whereabouts.
Dreams shattered
Finally, Kurla RPF found Pinky by a restroom at the Kurla Terminus on Sunday. "Our constable spotted her near the lavatory. She was immediately brought to the police station, where she revealed that she ran away from her home to meet Salman Khan. However, on arriving in Mumbai she was confused about where to go and what to do and broke down in tears. At that point she was spotted by a stranger, who consoled her and promised to take her to the actor," said a police officer from Kurla RPF.
"That person demanded money from her and vanished after pocketing all the cash Pinky had left. She said she didn't approach police believing she would somehow manage to meet the actor," added the officer. "The girl will be handed over to Madhya Pradesh police, who will carry out necessary investigations. Various medical tests will also be conducted to check if she was sexually assaulted. Meanwhile, we are trying to track down the unidentified man who duped her," said Rajesh Kamble, senior police inspector, Kurla RPF.
Deja vu
Three years ago two teens from Shimla came to Mumbai to meet Salman Khan. Like so many other stories, this one too could have ended in tragedy, but for a passenger on the train to Mumbai and a cop.
The boys met one Rishu Jarat of Ludhiana, who took them to a relative's salon in Parel when they arrived at Dadar station. Meanwhile, their worried parents had registered a missing complaint in Shimla. The cops were moved when they heard of the boys' desire and took them to Salman's residence. Unfortunately, the actor was not at home, but the cops took them to St Andrews High School, where an ad shoot was on. "Even though they couldn't meet Salman, they were happy to get a glimpse of the shoot," a cop said.
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