Family of man held for masturbating in front of US woman says he was peeing

Gopal Jagdish Walmiki, who was nabbed by police on charges of making obscene gestures in front of a US national, claimed on Tuesday that he was urinating and the woman misunderstood. His family, too, expressed shock over the matter.

Walmiki is a resident of Arthur Bunder Road in Colaba. He got married a month ago, and has been interning with a share-broker after completing his graduation. His father works with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as a sweeper.

As soon as the police landed at his doorstep, Walmiki admitted that he was the person in the photograph. Laxmi, Walmiki's sister, said, "Our neighbours informed us that Gopal's photograph was being shown on news channels and social media. We were shocked to come across the news. My brother told us that he was urinating when the woman spotted him. He goes by the same path to buy grocery daily. There has never been such a complaint in the past." Laxmi is married and stays with her family in Cuffe Parade.

Walmiki has been charged with section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and remanded to judicial custody. His family members accompanied him to the Esplanade Court at Azad Maidan on Tuesday and secured his bail for Rs 5,000 as surety.