A 21-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 31-year-old doctor in the AC compartment of an express train while she was asleep, in the early hours of Friday. The victim was coming to Mumbai from Gujarat for a conference.
According to the government railway police (GRP) in Mumbai Central, the victim Shraddha Jain (name changed) boarded the Gujarat Mail at around 10.30 pm on Thursday from Gujarat. She was traveling alone and the crime took place at around 3.30 am on Friday at Valsad in Gujarat.
Ms Jain was sleeping on the lowest berth in the AC three-tier compartment while the accused Chandra Prakash Singh (21) was sleeping on the middle berth above her.
“According to the Ms Jain’s statements, Singh deliberately pushed his bed sheet on the floor and got down to pick it up. While picking it up, he touched the victim
inappropriately following which she woke up and raised an alarm,” said senior police inspector, Rajendra Trivedi of the Mumbai Central railway station.
A heated argument took place between the two and Singh started abusing the victim. The TTE intervened and alerted the police by contacting them on the helpline. The GRP officials entered the train in Borivali and nabbed Singh. He was brought to Mumbai Central where an FIR was registered against him.
A case under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Singh. He was then handed over to the railway police in Gujarat as the crime took
place in their jurisdiction.