A 17-year-old girl managed to escape from the clutches of three men who allegedly tried to abduct her from a crowded market in Madhya Pradesh's Alirajpur district, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place on June 18 in Bori town, located around 50 km from the district headquarters, but came to light after a video of it went viral on social media on Saturday.

The motive behind the abduction attempt was yet to be ascertained, the police said.

The girl had gone to the weekly market for shopping with her elder sister and niece when three persons arrived there on a motorcycle and forcibly picked her up, despite her resistance, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Vyas said.

Two of the accused picked up the girl forcibly and fled taking her on their motorbike, but got stuck in a traffic jam on the outskirts of the town a little later.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the girl escaped from their clutches and returned home safely, the official said.

After taking cognisance of the video, the police located the girl and recorded her statement, the SP said.

A case was registered against the three absconding accused on Saturday at Bori police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Two police teams have been deployed to trace the accused, identified as residents of Kakoda village under Tanda police station limits in neighbouring Dhar district, the official said.

A reward of Rs 5,000 has been announced for information leading to the arrest of each of the accused, the official added.

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