1 more held for groping 17-yr-old on busy Kandivli street

The Charkop police on Wednesday arrested one more from a group of five youth who had allegedly molested a 17-year-old girl on a busy road in Kandivli (West) on Monday. The accused, Habib Khan, 19, lived in the neighbourhood.

While three accused were arrested on Tuesday, the police are now on the lookout for the last one.

The police said the girl was groped, not stripped. "She was not stripped. They groped her and were misbehaving with her and that's when she ran. Because we had a beat marshal surveying the area, the case was registered soon," said senior inspector Anand Koli.

The incident happened opposite Gaurav Hotel on Old Link Road around 5pm. The girl, a Malad resident, was with her friend in an autorickshaw, en route to the latter's house. On reaching, while the friend left to get money from home to pay the driver, the victim waited near the vehicle. That's when the youth saw her and started teasing her. She ran from there but they chased her and groped her.

A beat marshal spotted her running and asked her what was wrong. She took him to the youth and identified them, after which a case was registered.

All four have been arrested under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman) and 34 (common intention) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

"All the arrested youth lived in the same neighbourhood and did odd jobs. We are trying to find out if they have created such nuisance before. None of them have any criminal cases registered against them in the past," said Koli.

Residents shocked

Expressing their shock and dismay over the incident, Kandivli residents said patrolling needs to be increased in the neighbourhood. "I feel safe most of the times. But in the nooks and corners, there are druggies and hooligans who walk in groups. It is high time the cops enhance patrolling, especially inside the bylanes," said Pooja Naik, 27, who lives on SV Road in Kandivli (West).

Saying that had the incident happened after dark, the victim may not have been able to save herself, Malad resident Anagha Deodhar said, "It is shocking that this happened at 5pm, when the streets are busy. I always thought the area around Hindustan Naka was safe for women. But as there are many chawls around that area, you find a lot of drunkards and hooligans roaming around."

However, a few women also questioned as to why the bystanders turned a blind eye. "There is a restaurant nearby and I'm sure people walking would have noticed this. I wish people had paid attention to the goings-on. If the beat marshal had not come to her rescue, I don't know how she would have got out of that mess," said Jyoti Salian, 30, who lives in the neighbourhood.