2 held within hours for stalking woman journalist in Delhi: Police

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) The Delhi Police has apprehended two men for allegedly stalking a woman journalist and damaging her car late on Thursday night, an official said.

The accused were held within hours of the incident.

The incident took place in the intervening night of October 30 and 31, when the 35-year-old woman, who works as a producer with a private television news channel, was returning home from her Noida Sector 129 office.

"Around 12:45 am, when she overtook a scooter on the Mahamaya flyover, its riders allegedly started following her and tried to confront her. Showing presence of mind, the woman did not stop and instead, drove towards a safer area," the officer said.

When she reached near the Lajpat Nagar flyover, she called the Police Control Room (PCR) around 1:30 am, reporting that the men were following her and had also damaged her vehicle.

A team from the Lajpat Nagar police station rushed to the spot and ensured her safety. Since the incident had occurred under the Sun Light Colony police station limits, a case was registered there.

Multiple teams were formed to identify and nab the accused.

"CCTV footage from the route and nearby areas was examined. Within hours, both accused were traced and detained. They were identified as Shubham and Deepak. The duo was previously found involved in a case under the Arms Act, registered at the Dabri police station earlier this year," the officer said.

Both men are being interrogated, and further investigation is underway to determine if they were involved in other such incidents.

The officer also said every call is being treated with utmost seriousness.

Meanwhile, sharing her ordeal, the journalist said, "I left work around 12:45 am for my Vasant Kunj home. While driving on the expressway, two men on a scooter tried to block my way and started following me. Initially, I thought they were just teasing me, so I ignored them. But then they started blocking my way and gesturing me to stop." She said she continued driving and started recording a video to scare them off and collect evidence. "A little later, when my car stopped due to traffic, the pillion rider banged on my windscreen and came to my side. He tried to open my vehicle's door, but since it was locked, he could not. I sped away, but they kept following me," the woman said in an audio clip.

When she reached the DND, the pillion rider took out a stick and smashed her rear windscreen, she said. She immediately called one of her colleagues and asked for help. The colleague told her to keep driving fast and not to stop. She continued driving and called police when she reached the Ashram area.

"As I got closer to the Ashram flyover towards Lajpat Nagar, I saw some cab drivers and asked for help. They asked me to park the car on the roadside and said they would help me. By that time, the two men had fled and police had also arrived. The officers asked me to get a complaint lodged. I later got an FIR registered at the Sun Light Colony police station," she added. PTI BM SSJ RC