Mumbai:
A 44-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stalking and sexually harassing a woman advocate in Mumbai for several months.
The 26-year-old woman had filed an online complaint with the Cuffe Parade police station and provided them photographs of the accused that she took from her cell phone camera.
The accused, Dinesh Govind, a cleaner by profession, lives in a slum at Badhwar Park, near Cuffe Parade. According to the woman, the ordeal began in July when Govind began following her and making lewd gestures during her morning walks.
The woman was frightened initially but decided to take matters into her own hands when the harassment continued unabated. She had even confronted him on one occasion, but he fled from the spot, said the police. She then decided to capture him on her phone camera making obscene gestures. The photographic evidence made it easier for the police to zero in on the suspect and arrest him.
A case has been registered under sections 354D (stalking) and 509 (word or gesture intended to outrage the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code or IPC at the Cuffe Parade Police Station.
The unusually bold approach that the woman adopted has earned her the respect of the police. They were all praise for her, pointing out that if citizens are as alert as her, it would go a long way in helping the police tackle the menace of crimes against women.