Mumbai : A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and suffered a fractured nose after a man repeatedly hit her just because she objected to the loud noises made by him and his friends in Kurla-Nehru Nagar area. Locals remained mute spectators to the incident, police said on Saturday.
On the fateful day, the girl was on her way to Adarsh Nagar during evening hours for her tuition class along with a friend. The girl was walking on the road when the boys seated inside a stationary autorickshaw were making loud noise. When the girl objected to their behaviour, accused Imran Shahid Shaikh passed lewd comments at her and pelted stones at her.
The incident which happened on Tuesday was captured by a CCTV camera. The footage, purportedly showed Shaikh, who was known to the girls, attacking her, and it has gone viral on social and mainstream media. It also shows the bystanders did not come to her help but merely stood there.
The girl suffered a fractured nose. She rushed home and narrated the incident to her family members. Later, Her father took her to Nehru Nagar police station to lodge a First Information Report (FIR). “When I told them to stop, Shaikh began arguing with me. Shaikh also punched me in the face due to which I became semi-conscious and my nose was bleeding,” the girl wrote in her FIR. Senior police inspector Pramod Koparde of Nehru Nagar police station said, “The girl has also alleged that she was molested.”
Shahaji Umap, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 6) also said, “Accused Shaikh was arrested on October 17 and later released on bail.”
The girl further alleged that the boy’s family members threatened her family and asked them to withdraw the complaint. Shaikh is a resident of Shastri Nagar at Chembur and has been charged under voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means (Section 324) and punishment for criminal intimidation (Section 506) of Indian Penal Code.
He was arrested again on Saturday for assault or criminal force (Section 354), outraging modesty of a woman (Section 509) Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means (Section 326) of IPC and sexual assault (Section 8 and 12) of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act.
