Mumbai: Pervert nabbed after 100 days of investigation

API Shriniwas Darade, API Sandeep Mane, Head Constables Kamble and Avadhoot Rane with the arrested accused

After distributing over 2,000 pamphlets with information about him, and nearly 100 days of investigation to find him, the Gamdevi police on Wednesday arrested a man who had masturbated in front of a college girl in June.

According to the Mumbai police on June 17, at around 6:30 pm, a man disrobed and masturbated in front of a 23-year-old college student who had taken her dog for a walk near Kennedy bridge. "She screamed but no one helped and the accused fled the location," said a police officer. The incident was reported to Gamdevi police who registered an FIR under section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of IPC.

Also Read: Job racket: Indian agents in Dubai hiring men for Myanmar

The Mumbai police scanned more than 500 CCTV footages in the vicinity of the crime but found nothing except very vague footage. "We then made thousands of pamphlets and distributed them in public places including railways and buses and slums," said Neelotpal, DCP, Zone 02.

API Sandeep Mane of Gamdevi police then received a call from a local saying the accused was seen at DB Marg and VP Road. "He was apprehended on Wednesday, nearly 100 days after investigation," Neelotpal added. The accused is 30 years old and a resident of Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh. He worked as a painter and used to stay on footpaths in Mumbai. He had run away to UP after the incident.

The complainant appreciated the police's good work, and penned an emotional message about them on social media. She wrote, "I had given up, but the folks at Gamdevi Police Station had not. I am forever grateful to Mumbai police for all of their efforts, and how receptive they were to my complaint, how diligent they were with the follow up, and how they did not stop until they found the person."