Mumbai: Man arrested for stalking, sexually assaulting woman in Dombivli

Representational Picture/iStock

The Manpada police has apprehended a man for stalking and sexually assaulting a woman as she was returning from work. The accused was caught in the act by local residents who promptly intervened and brought him to the police station.

Identified as Pritam Gaikwad, son of a retired police officer, he has been charged under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the complainant, the incident occurred on Thursday night around 11 pm when the victim was walking home through Ajdepada in Dombivli east. Gaikwad, following her, attempted to coerce and sexually assault her. Gaikwad approached her and tried to grab her mouth and scratched her neck with his fingernails.

The complainant managed to raise an alarm, attracting the attention of nearby youths who rushed to her help. "The woman screamed for help, and local youths nearby rushed to rescue the woman," explained a police officer. The locals apprehended Gaikwad and promptly handed him over to the Manpada police.

Following the arrest, a case has been registered, and investigations are ongoing. It was revealed that Gaikwad had come to stay at his relatives' place when he committed the crime. The police are conducting a thorough inquiry into the matter.

Meanwhile, the RAK Marg police station in Mumbai has arrested a serial snatcher who targeted people for their gold chains. The incident came to light on January 28 when a complainant approached the police to file a report.

According to the police, the complainant was walking on DJ Mahajani path when the alleged accused forcefully snatched the gold chain and fled the scene.

Due to the absence of nearby cameras, the identification of the accused became challenging. "Cameras were far away from the spot, and hence it was not easy to find the accused. We had to scan 70 CCTV cameras from 29 locations to identify the accused," stated a police officer.

After an extensive investigation, the police successfully traced the accused's phone number, leading to the identification of Abhishek Yadav (20). The tracking revealed his location in Golibar Marg, Santacruz, where the police arrested him on February 1, police said.

Yadav has been booked under section 392 (Robbery) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).