Mumbai: Pervert harasses neighbours by watching porn at full volume

Manoj Gupta was caught on camera by his neighbour while he was making obscene gestures at her. Pic/Hanif Patel

Pelvic thrusts and watching porn on a loudspeaker have landed a Vasai housing society's resident pervert behind bars. The accused, identified as Manoj Gupta, 29, was arrested on Monday after one of his neighbours, a woman, lodged a complaint about his obscene and erratic behaviour with other residents of the building, especially women.

Gupta resides on the ground floor of the New Varsha apartment building in Vasai East with his wife and their son, in his grandfather's home. While he'd earlier been an amiable resident, he'd started behaving absurdly with his neighbours since the past few months. This behaviour was mostly targeted at the women in the society, according to his 30-year-old neighbour, who is also the complainant in the case.

Burst crackers, watch porn
Gupta would pass filthy comments at the women and make obscene gestures whenever they pass by him. If anyone reprimanded him for his behaviour, he'd amplify whatever he was doing to behave even more abusively with them. As if this was not enough, he would burst crackers right outside the complainant's house and watch porn movies on his TV or mobile phone after plugging the device into a speaker. The complainant said, "We've been facing these difficulties since the last four months. It had become tough for women in the building to get out of their homes because he used to pass lewd comments and behave with them in an abusive manner. He'd watch porn movies loudly on the speaker."

Caught on camera
Fed up of his antics, the women residents approached the Manikpur police station, armed with video evidence of his perverse actions. After watching the video, the cops registered an FIR against him. Senior inspector DB Bandekar from Manikpur police station said, "Based on the complaint of the 30- year-old woman, we have booked and arrested the accused under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. He was produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody." The complainant added, "We've finally got some relief after his arrest, but now the other women are asking whether his objectionable behaviour would stop after he gets out of jail."

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