French consulate staffer molested in Mumbai; accused held within 24 hours of filing complaint

Mumbai, Nov 17 (PTI) A 27-year-old French woman, working at her country's consulate in Mumbai, was allegedly molested by a scooter-borne man in the upscale Bandra area, a police official said on Monday.

Police arrested the accused, a 25-year-old scrap dealer from Dharavi, on Saturday night, less than 24 hours after a complaint was filed in connection with the last week's incident, he said.

According to the Khar police station official, the accused, Sunil Waghela, was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty).

Police have seized the scooter used in the offence, he added.

After the complaint was received, police scanned over 50 CCTV recordings from Bandra as part of investigation into the case.

"We found Waghela following the victim on a scooter before stopping by her side and speeding away after molesting her. It is suspected the accused had been following the victim for a few days before committing the offence," according to the official.

On November 7, the victim, employed by the consulate as a French teacher, visited her friend's home in Pali Hill and was walking back to her accommodation at 12.25 am on November 8 when the assault occurred, he said.

Using the scooter's registration number traced through CCTV, police identified Waghela's address about 100 metres from the police station in Dharavi, a sprawling slum colony, the official stated.

"Waghela did not return home for almost three days after committing the offence. He returned home only after thinking the matter was over," he said.

A trap was laid in Dharavi, and the scrap dealer was caught late on Saturday after tracking his movement using technical assistance, said the official.

When a police team nabbed the accused, his family members, other relatives and people from his community residing in Dharavi created a ruckus. However, they were tackled by the team and Waghela was taken into custody and later placed under arrest, he added. PTI ZA RSY