As a taxi driver, you are able to meet all sorts of interesting people. Sometimes you have regulars, and other times you pick up some surprising clients. For one taxi driver, he found himself being hailed by a 13-year old girl. He did not normally pick up such young passengers, but something about the situation felt off to him. He pulled up to the curb, and she got in the cab. After giving him the address, he began to ask her a few questions about where she was going and who she would be meeting. Something about the situation did not feel right to him.
Meet Satbir
The heroic taxi driver, Satbir Arora, had no idea that he would need to help out in a big way. He had worked in Oxfordshire for a number of years and was pretty good at gauging situations.
Sometimes suspicious characters would hail him, and he would immediately report them if something seemed odd. After seeing this young girl hailing him, he pulled over and offered to drive her home. She was not heading home, though, and it was getting late.
The Train Station
This young girl was very quiet. After mentioning she needed to go to Gloucester Train Station, Satbir decided to ask a few probing questions. He did not want to alarm her; he just wanted to make sure that she was not about to enter into a dangerous situation. She was still dressed in her school uniform, and it was odd that she would not have changed if she needed to take the train to another city.
He decided to press her to see who she was going to meet, and what city she was meeting them in. After a moment of hesitation, the girl began to answer his questions.
A Long Drive Ahead
The destination that the girl had asked for was not a close one. The Gloucester Train Station was over an hour away. This meant that the girl and Satbir would have a lot of time to discuss where she was headed.
He was not normally this nosy with his passengers, but he was curious about why this girl was not accompanied by a parent. She also kept glancing at her phone, like she was waiting for an important message. Something was not adding up here, and Satbir was going to get to the bottom of it. As the drive progressed, he could feel nervous energy emanating from her.
Establishing Trust
If Satbir was going to get any information out of this teenager, he would need to show her that he was nonthreatening, and simply cared about her well-being. Her parents must be worried about where she had gone. He started slowly and began to ask her about her day.
Had she learned anything interesting at school? Once she began to answer in full sentences, instead of yes or no, he knew she was feeling comfortable. That was when he began to ask more targeted questions, such as “Where are you going?” This was when the girl became less forthcoming.
The Answer
This girl could be going anywhere in the United Kingdom for all Satbir knew. If she was going to disappear and not tell her parents, then he wanted to know. She was very hesitant to answer, but eventually, she told him. Her answer concerned him even more.
No final destination was provided, but she did offer up that she was meeting a friend for the first time. Satbir was silent as he heard that. What kind of friend would make this young girl take a train to them, and not come and meet them? Satbir wondered how old this ‘friend’ of the girls was.
Do Your Parents Know?
Thirteen is a difficult age; you are still in your childhood, but also entering your teenage years. Many young teens like this, begin to rebel at this age. Satbir wondered if that was what this girl was doing. She was very defensive as she began to answer his questions.
Her reaction was odd for someone going to see a friend, and who claimed that her parents were aware she was heading out of Oxfordshire. Satbir wasn’t so sure, though. The passenger began to question Satbir in return, but he had nothing to hide. He hoped that she would reveal the truth.
In Danger
The world is full of kind people, but there are those who want to do children, like this girl, some harm. Satbir wanted to make sure that this girl was not about to enter into a situation she could not get out of.
He knew that his line of questioning might seem odd, but all he cared about was the safety of this young teen. He hoped that another person would do this for his children if he had them.
The Friend
It turned out that the girl did not have enough money to pay for the taxi, and that she had never intended to pay for it herself. This mysterious ‘friend’ of hers would be covering all of her expenses. This made Satbir even warier.
Now the girl was clearly away from home, without her parents’ consent, and this friend of hers seemed to have a lot of disposable income. They both waited for the friend to appear, and pay for the girl’s cab fare.
Calling His Wife
The girl was becoming increasingly irritated by how concerned Satbir was. She thought that he should stay out of her personal affairs, but as he had yet to be paid, he was able to use that as an excuse.
The girl had to stay close to his cab. While they were waiting, Satbir placed a call to his wife. He explained what he had heard, and the girl’s defensive behavior. He asked her for her advice to see if he was actually doing the right thing.
The Advice
Satbir and his wife conferred about the girl’s situation. She also found it very concerning. No child should be out or going to another part of the country without a parent. At the very least, one of the girl’s parents should have accompanied her to the station.
This was when Satbir made his final decision regarding the encounter. He would need to see who the ‘friend’ was. This would tell him everything he needed to know.
A Quick Conversation
Clearly, the girl was not comfortable with discussing her life with Satbir. Sometimes it is necessary for a woman to speak to another young woman. Satbir’s wife offered to have a quick chat with the girl, who was still waiting for her friend.
As the girl came over and took the phone from his hand, he saw a look he could not place cross her face. He hoped that the girl would confide in his wife, and together they could keep her safe.
Getting Some Answers
Finally, the girl began to open up to Satbir’s wife. Her friend had yet to show up, and that was clearly weighing on her. Satbir’s wife explained that she knew what it felt like to be lonely, and if the girl needed to talk to someone, she was there for her.
The girl finally broke down and admitted that her parents had no idea what she was doing. She had left in secret, and expected only to tell them where she was once her friend had collected her.
Meeting Online
The so-called friend that the girl had made plans to meet was someone she had met online. They had been chatting for a while, and the friend had convinced her it was time to meet. That feeling in Satbir’s gut intensified when he heard that.
He knew at that moment that this girl had been about to fall victim to an online predator. He immediately dialed the police and explained that a meeting was in motion, and they could catch this predator if they came to the train station quickly.
The Friend Arrives
The friend that this girl had been waiting for was none other than a man in his mid-twenties named Sam Hewings. All he had with him was a backpack that he clutched tightly to his body. Satbir was glad that this girl had gotten into his cab that day.
Sam began to scan the crowds of people at the train station, looking for the girl. That was when the police arrived on the scene, and Sam knew he had been caught out.
A Failed Escape
With two police cars now parked outside the entrances to the train station, Sam had nowhere to go. He wanted to avoid being seen by the police officers patrolling around, but panic had already set in for him.
He began to search for a way out of the station, and this odd behavior is what caught the cops’ attention. An innocent person would not act like this, and what was inside the backpack that was so important?
Setting A Trap
In a stroke of genius, Satbir knew how to make sure Sam was the ‘friend’ the girl had been looking to meet. She had his number saved as one of her contacts. He asked to borrow her phone, and she gave it to him without hesitation.
Satbir pressed the call button for Sam’s number and watched the man to see if he would pick up. Sam answered the call, and at that moment, the police had him. This was not a ‘friend’ but a predator.
CCTV Does Not Lie
Every interaction that a person has at the Gloucestershire Train Station is recorded by CCTV. That means that everyone entering, leaving, or loitering is caught on camera. Sam’s desperate search for a way out of the station, and answering the phone call was timestamped and captured.
The police were able to use his phone number to find him and to find out about his nefarious online activities. He did not have good intentions when it came to this young girl.
Sam’s Online Presence
Once the police had a name, they were able to find out Sam’s address, and what his online activities were. His chat profile revealed untold horrors. He had not been planning to befriend this girl but instead had targeted her for predatory reasons.
The forum in which he chatted to other members about what he had planned, revealed everything about his character. The police were easily able to deduce what would have happened if Satbir had not stepped in.
The Truth Comes Out
After the information contained in his online profile was presented to the court in Gloucestershire, they were able to make some conclusions about his character and proclivities. This young girl had no idea what was in store for her.
Sam is the kind of person that needs to be kept off the streets, to avoid incidents like what could have happened from occurring. Satbir was lucky that he was on the scene. The girl was safe.
Sam’s Plan
This was not the first girl that Sam had attempted to ‘befriend.’ Instead, he had been pursuing a number of children. His plan was to kidnap one and do what he wanted with them. He had been planning how he would abduct his first child for a long time, and other members on the forums he was a part of had offered him advice.
It was very disturbing to see how long he had been considering kidnapping this girl for, and what would have awaited her once he had her alone.
The Backpack
Further evidence was found when the police got ahold of the backpack. The contents were everything a person would need to incapacitate and kidnap someone. There were drugs that could be used to put someone to sleep, along with materials such as rope and knives.
The court listened to all of these findings, and it helped them to determine their final verdict regarding Sam. It would be a harsh one.
The Verdict
After listening to the evidence, the judge was finally ready to lay down a verdict. Sam was guilty of being a pedophile, with the intention of kidnapping a minor. His online presence indicated his intentions, as did the CCTV, which showed him trying to meet the girl, and the contents of his backpack.
It was all thanks to Satbir that this girl was able to return to her parents safe and sound. If he had not followed his gut, something terrible would have happened.
A Hero
The real hero of this story is Satbir Arora. He listened to his instincts and helped to apprehend a predator. The police are extremely grateful to him, and his community has celebrated him.
If you ever need to catch a taxi in Oxfordshire, Satbir is the one you should look for. He truly cares about his passenger’s well-being, and we’re sure this girl gave him a big thank you for saving her life. We’re just glad nothing bad happened, and that Sam was caught before he could go through with his plan.