Teen's picture of auto leads Andheri police to molester rickshaw driver

Gulfam Khan was arrested at Vapi railway station

Following the instructions given by a teacher in a safety awareness programme paid off for a teenager, when her actions according to it helped arrest her molester. The Std XII student had taken a picture of an autorickshaw as instructed when she was travelling alone, and this helped the police get to its driver who molested her.

The crime
The incident took place around 6:40 am on June 22 when she boarded an auto from Andheri and alighted at Kalina. She gave the driver R200 and while taking the change from him, he touched her inappropriately and fled.

The student narrated her ordeal to her parents and her father took her to the Andheri police station where they lodged an FIR against the auto driver under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 8 of the Pocso Act (Protection of children from sexual offences). Crime Branch's Unit-X began working on the case. Speaking to mid-day, the girl's father said that she had attended an awareness programme when she had joined Std XI.

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Her actions helped
"The teacher had instructed female students to take a picture of the auto or taxi that they hire when traveling alone, and told them to send it to family members or to a WhatsApp group of friends, etc., so that people are aware of the vehicle," the girl's father said. "Since then my daughter had been doing this. That day too she had clicked a picture of the autorickshaw that she hired, and sent it to me. When we approached the police this picture helped them identify the accused," he added.

Police speak
Akbar Pathan, DCP Detection, Crime Branch, said, "We located his address with the help of the auto number. It was at Govandi's Shivaji Nagar where we sent a team of personnel. They found that he stays in Bandra, but when they reached there, he had left for his native place which is in Uttar Pradesh."

The police planned to send a team of personnel to his native place, but on Friday they found that he was going to come back to Mumbai. "As he was aware that the police were looking for him, we thought he would alight anywhere to avoid arrest. We later found he would get off at Vapi railway station in Gujarat. We sent a team there and arrested him when he got off," Pathan added.

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The arrested accused has been identified as Gulfam Khan, 32. He was handed over to local police for further investigation. Police suspect that he may have committed such crimes in the past as well and have appealed to people to come forward and let them know about it.

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