Mumbai: The courage and presence of mind shown by a 23-year-old woman passenger led to the arrest of a man who allegedly flashed her on board a local train. Police said the complainant began video-recording the accused in the act with her mobile, which helped them nab him within 48 hours.
According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), the incident occurred around 10 a.m. on Saturday on a Harbour Line local from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Belapur. They said the complainant, a resident of Nallasopara, had come to Cuffe Parade to celebrate bhai dooj with her brother, and was headed to work in Seawoods.
ACP Machhindra Chavan, CSMT Division, Mumbai GRP, said, “The accused boarded the section for handicapped passengers at CSMT, next to the ladies compartment in which the complainant was travelling. Between CSMT and Masjid Bunder stations, the accused, identified as Krupa Patel, 30, flashed the complainant through the bars separating the sections.”
After recording the accused on video, the complainant alighted at Reay Road station, took a train back to CSMT and approached the GRP. The police registered an FIR of outraging a woman’s modesty under the IPC. “We put a special team on the job, who went through CCTV footage at CSMT and other railway stations. The accused was identified using the video shot by the complainant, and picked up at 6 a.m. on Monday,” Mr. Chavan said. Police said Patel, who is homeless, was arrested from outside Gulshan-e-Iran restaurant on P D'Mello Road following a tip-off. Patel, originally from Odisha, is a labourer by profession.
Meanwhile, the CSMT GRP is also investigating the incident in which a 14-year-old girl jumped off a moving train between CSMT and Masjid Bunder stations when an unidentified man allegedly entered the ladies compartment on Sunday. The girl, intimidated by the man's actions, jumped off the train and sustained a fracture and head injuries.