Auto Driver Accused Of Molesting College Student Caught By Thane Police

The autorickshaw driver had sexually harassed a 22-year-old college student and was caught by Thane Police on Saturday.

CCTV visuals verified by local police on the incident that occurred on Friday.

Source : Screenshot from ANI video

New Delhi:  The Thane police, on Saturday, arrested the autorickshaw driver who allegedly sexually harassed a 22-year-old college student. The police said that the man had gone missing after committing the offence but was caught within 24 hours. 

The 36-year-old accused was caught by a team of the Thane Nagar police station from Digha in neighbouring Navi Mumbai following the incident that had occurred on Friday morning. Three police teams had been formed for the purpose. They checked the CCTV footage and worked on intelligence inputs, before zeroing in on the accused, as per PTI. 

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Case filed u/s 354 & 354A at Thane Nagar PS after a 22-yr-old woman was allegedly molested & dragged for a few meters by an auto-rickshaw driver near Thane railway station. Search on for accused: Thane Police (14.10)

(CCTV visuals verified by local police) pic.twitter.com/BAURRUhNGg

— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2022

"We caught the accused within 24 hours," senior inspector Jairaj Ranaware of the Thane Nagar police station said.

According to PTI, the 22-year-old woman was on her way to college when the autorickshaw driver, who was standing on the road, made some objectionable comments. In retaliation she questioned him, he then held her hand and pulled her towards him. When the accused tried to flee after this, the woman held on to his hand even as he started driving the three-wheeler. She got dragged for about 500 meters with the vehicle and fell, following which the accused fled, the police said, as per PTI.

Based on the complaint lodged by the woman, a case was registered against the accused under sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force to any woman to outrage her modesty), 354(A) (sexual harassment), 336 (rash or negligent act), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Indian Penal Code.