THE AMBOLI police Friday arrested two youths for allegedly stalking a journalist. Around 1 am on August 16, the 24-year-old journalist was on her way home from an assignment. Minutes after hailing an auto-rickshaw in Andheri, the youths on a bike started chasing her auto-rickshaw.
They chased the vehicle for around 3 km and allegedly passed lewd remarks, according to her complaint.
“I took a rickshaw from Chitrakoot Grounds in Andheri to Juhu Circle. Two boys seated on a bike started chasing my auto-rickshaw. They were passing lewd remarks and even trying to enquire with the driver as to where I was headed,” said the victim.
“I then called the police control room. They guided me to a nearby checkpoint where the cops were posted on patrolling duty. But before I could reach there, the accused saw the cops, took a turn and fled. However, I managed to click their photographs. I tweeted about the incident,” she said.
The next day following news reports, the Amboli police got in touch with the victim and an FIR was registered. A team headed by Inspector Daya Nayak arrested the two college students on Friday morning. Both are residents of Marol in Malad.
“Based on RTO records, we managed to obtain details of the owner of the bike. The boys were arrested from their residence early Friday morning,” said an officer.
The two have been booked under Section 354 (D) – stalking. They were produced before a local court and remanded in 14 days of judicial custody.
Immediately after the incident, the Mumbai Police took to the micro-blogging site warning stalkers – “(@name withheld) reported stalking with a picture of the stalker and his vehicle number. Didn’t take long for us to hunt down the accused.”
The police have started a Twitter drive #ReportStalking, in which one can take to the micro-blogging site if being stalked by someone.
“It is a good step if the police are proactive in catching the culprits. The accused in such cases think they can get away. If technology can be used to curb the menace of sexual harassment on the street, such offences can be reported more often,” said women’s rights lawyer Flavia Agnes.
