This is the second such incident in the past two months. Shockingly, no one came forward to help the girl when the youths accosted her at a bus-stop at Yerawada.

The girl was returning home after attending a private computer training class around 1.15 pm. She was waiting at the bus-stop when the youths arrived on a motorcycle and threatened her. One of the youths reportedly possessed a knife. After a few exchange of words, they suddenly pulled out a bottle and emptied the contents in her mouth.

A commuter waiting at the bus stop had questioned the youths when they had initially threatened her. The youths countered that the girl was their sister. When the girl tried to board a bus, the youths stopped her. As the girl had already swallowed the poison, she got into a autorickshaw. While twoyouths fled on the motorcycle, one of them accompanied her. However, when the girl started walking up to her house, the youth reportedly ran away.

The girl narrated the incident to her parents, after which they shifted her to a private hospital. Her condition is stated to be stable.

Relatives close to the girl were in a state of shock and are still wondering about the identities and the motive of the youths. They said that the youth who accompanied the girl in the autorickshaw was probably waiting to see if the poison was having effect. However, once the girl started walking to her house, the youth fled, the relatives said. The girl fell unconscious only after she was taken to the hospital around 2.30 pm. The doctors were partly successful in removing the poison from the stomach. The nature of the poison was also not known, they said.

Relatives said that the girl had just returned from a 15-day holiday and it was her first day at the computer class after the vacation. About a fortnight ago, she wasreportedly troubled by a youth in a bus. The relatives are exploring the possibility that the incident could be connected to what took place yesterday.

The Yerawada police have registered an offence of attempt to murder against the unidentified youths. No arrests have been made so far.

It may be recalled that a similar incident took place on February 11 near Bopkhel in which a 16-year old girl was forced to swallow poison by a youth.