Man held for molesting girl in auto, stalking her in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A 35-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 21-year-old student inside an auto on Sunday evening and also flashing her on a crowded road in the city.
As she cried out in horror, local traders, bus passengers waiting at the spot and policemen on duty ran out and caught the accused before he could flee. The incident was reported from the Behala tram depot area between 9.30pm and 9.45pm on Sunday, when the girl was returning home. The accused, Sudhir Majhi, a resident of Behala, was later arrested at the Behala police station.
According to police, the victim had boarded an auto from Rashbehari to Behala. “The accused sat next to her in the auto. On the way, the accused kept trying to make eye-contact with her but the girl ignored him. But unfazed, the accused went ahead and tried to molest the girl a couple of times while travelling in the auto. The auto route terminated at the Behala tram depot and both the accused and the victim alighted. The victim soon realized that Majhi had started following her. As the victim wondered whether she should raise her voice or not, the accused suddenly flashed her. She immediately raised an alarm,” said an officer from the Behala division.
The woman, said cops, often took the auto rickshaw to return home at night. “The victim has told us that this was the first time that she faced such an incident. We are trying to know from her and the auto operator whether the accused was warned by other passengers for his behaviour. We are also fining out if the accused is a habitual offender,” said the investigating officer.
The police said they produced the accused in court and have sought court’s permission to record her statement before a magistrate. “We will also speak to the auto driver and get his evidence in this case. CCTV footage of the Behala and Rashbehari areas are also being studied,” said an officer from the Behala division.