RPF Constable Booked For Molesting Woman At Mumbai's CSMT Station

An RPF constable has been booked for molesting a woman 12 months ago at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Police have registered a case against an RPF constable for molesting a woman at CSMT station. (Representational Image)

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable has been booked for molesting a woman at Mumabai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), 12 months after the alleged incident took place at the Mumbai train station.

The accused, Constable Changdev Karale, 54, has been booked under Sections 354 and 354(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the CSMT Railway Police Station. Police have launched an investigation following the complaint.

The survivor, a 39-year-old woman from Nagpur, filed her complaint on Tuesday — almost 12 months after the incident. According to police, she had refrained from reporting the matter earlier due to fear and trauma.

Survivor Recalls the Ordeal

As per the police statement, the woman had returned to Mumbai from Gujarat’s Valsad in June 2024 after visiting her sister. She arrived at CSMT station late at night and was waiting alone on a bench near the police station outside the platform, as her train was delayed.

Around 2 a.m., Constable Karale, who was on night duty, approached her under the pretext of routine questioning. Upon learning that she was alone, he allegedly behaved inappropriately, made lewd gestures, and demanded sexual favours. When the woman refused, he reportedly misbehaved further and touched her inappropriately.

Eyewitness Intervenes, But No Complaint Filed Then

A passerby at the station noticed the constable’s behaviour and confronted him, which led to other police personnel arriving at the scene. However, fearing shame and social stigma, the woman chose not to file a complaint at the time and quietly left the station.

On Tuesday — nearly a year later — she returned to CSMT Police Station with her father and narrated the entire ordeal. She told the officer, “I’ve been living in fear and shock all this time, but now I’ve finally gathered the courage to speak out.”

After recording her statement, the police registered an FIR against Constable Karale under IPC Sections 354 and 354(A) and initiated legal proceedings.