Satbir Arora has been given an award for saving a 13-year-old school girl from a planned abduction by a paedophile in February this year.
An Indian-origin taxi driver in the UK has been hailed as a hero for saving a 13-year-old school girl from a planned abduction by a paedophile, a media report said.
Satbir Arora, who runs a taxi service with his wife, picked up the girl on February 20 after she booked his taxi to go from her home in Oxfordshire to Gloucester train station, the Metro.co.uk reported.
Arora became suspicious when no one arrived to meet her at the station and asked her for more information but when pressed she declined to say more.
He tried to ascertain whether the girl's parents knew where she was, while phoning the man she said she was meeting making recordings of all of the calls.
Arora called his wife with whom he runs the husband-and-wife taxi service and discussed his concerns with her, before passing the phone to the girl. The girl eventually confided in Mrs Arora that her parents did not know where she was, it said.
She then called the police, while her husband alerted a nearby police officer.
It then came to light the girl was planning to meet 24-year-old Sam Hewings, who had planned to abduct her. He had already discussed kidnapping, sedating and raping victims on online forums, the report said.
Arora has now been given an award for his work protecting the girl and saving her from an "unthinkable ordeal," the report said.
"Satbir Arora was presented with a certificate for outstanding achievement in safeguarding, by Councillor Kieron Mallon, the lead member for public protection," a spokesman for Cherwell District Council said.
Last week, Hewings was sentenced to a total of five years in prison for attempted abduction, and the distribution and making of indecent images.
The recordings Satbir Arora made on February 20 were later used as evidence against Hewings in his trial.
"I can't praise Arora enough for his caring attitude and for recognising that his passenger was in grave danger," Mallon said.
He saved his passenger from an "unthinkable ordeal", and had the presence of mind to record his calls with the would-be kidnapper, providing crucial evidence to the prosecution service, Mallon added.
"I cannot praise the taxi driver enough for his actions in this case. He undoubtedly saved harm from coming to the girl, and provided vital evidence for the prosecution." Det Con Ian Bennett from Gloucestershire Police said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Satbir-Arora")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}