Man booked for stalking & threatening ex-colleague

PUNE: The Wakad police on Saturday registered an offence against a software engineer for stalking and threatening a former female colleague at a prominent software company in Hinjewadi, where he was employed until recently.

The techie had left the company after the woman reported his behaviour to the organization’s management.

In her police complaint, the woman said that when she refused to respond to the suspect’s advances, he threatened to kill her with a firearm. She said the man constantly harassed her by sending messages and making phone calls — while she was in office and even when she was at home. The incidents took place between November 5 and November 10.

An officer from the Wakad police told TOI that the 24-year-old complainant and the suspect were colleagues at a software company in Hinjewadi. “They were selected for the same project. While working together, the complainant and the suspect got acquainted. However, when the suspect started making unwanted advances towards the complainant, she started avoiding him,” the officer said.

“The suspect, however, started harassing the complainant — asking her to accept his proposal. When the woman refused, he became furious and threatened her,” he added.

The woman then decided to lodge a complaint with the management of the company. “After her complaint, the suspect left the job. However, he continued harassing the woman over the phone,” the officer said. He said the suspect used to call the woman from three different cellphone numbers. The man also started using lewd and abusive language.

“The woman approached us when the suspect threatened to open fire on her,” the officer said. The suspect, who originally hailed from Rajasthan, had been residing in Wakad. The suspect has now been booked under sections 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Under Section 354D, stalking can attract punishment of “imprisonment not less than one year but which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine.”

Police are yet to arrest the suspect. A probe is on.

There have been a spate of stalking cases in the city and suspects have ranged from juveniles to the elderly and from students to actors. On October 22, a 17-year-old college student was detained for stalking and sexually harassing his classmate. On October 24, a civic official was booked for stalking a woman employee and sending lewd messages.

About a month earlier, on September 19, a 70-year-old man booked for stalking a minor girl. Before that, a popular Marathi actor was arrested for harassing his co-star on September 1.