Mumbai Police arrest youth for molesting woman inside washroom

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The Azad Maidan police have arrested a youth who allegedly molested a 35-year-old woman inside the ladies' washroom of a shopping centre in South Mumbai. The police nabbed him within an hour after the FIR was registered. The matter came to light on April 18, when the woman approached the police station to register an FIR. The suspect has been identified as Sandip Pandey, 21.

According to the police, the woman, who is a lawyer and working in a private law firm, had visited the common washroom in a shopping centre in the Fort area. She had spotted the man in the ladies' washroom. The woman questioned his presence in the ladies' washroom following which the man got scared and fled. The victim then entered the washroom and closed the door, however, the alleged accused returned and allegedly attempted to sexually assault the woman as she was coming out of the washroom.

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"The victim resisted and kicked the man. The man got scared and fled. The woman then approached the police station to register an FIR," said a police officer

The police then began to investigate the matter and identified the suspect to be Sandip Pandey, 21, "He worked as a security guard in the nearby area and used to visit the washroom to take a bath every day. However today he came there with an intention to rape. When the lady resisted he tried to strangulate her and fled from the scene after the victim kicked him. He thought that the victim would keep quiet and not approach the cops and hence he went back to his workplace. We then registered an FIR and checked the CCTV footage and nabbed him from his place of work," said a police officer.

Pandey was booked by the Azad Maidan police station under section 354 ( Use of criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty) and 307 ( attempt to murder) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Quote

‘He worked as a security guard in the nearby area and used to visit the washroom to take a bath every day. However today he came there with the intention to rape'

A police officer, Azad Maidan police station

21 years

Age of the accused