Scrap dealer’s son harasses women for reels, lands in police net

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Two youths who harassed women by performing reckless stunts on high-speed bikes for social media reels were arrested on Thursday.

Police identified them as Shaikh Sameer (25, Indiranagar), and his accomplice Syed Ijaz (25), who filmed the stunts. A local court has remanded both in police custody for a day. On September 5, the Damini Squad comprising officers Kalpana Kharat, Sunita Naglod, Ambika Darunte, Sarita Kundare, and Kavita Gawli was patrolling near MGM College when students reported that two youths were following and intimidating girls on bikes. The accused revved loud modified engines, braked suddenly to scare passersby, and targeted female students near campuses. Despite the victims' reluctance to file complaints, vigilant citizens alerted the police. On this basis, Damini Squad officer Kalpana Kharat filed an FIR invoking 14 serious charges under the BNS and IT Acts. Following orders from police commissioner Praveen Pawar, assistant polic inspector Vivek Jadhav traced the culprits through Sameer’s Instagram account. The duo was arrested in the Jinsee area and handed over to Cidco police.

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Chasing stardom, spreading fear

Sameer, a 10th-grade dropout with 1.4 lakh Instagram followers, works at his father’s scrap warehouse in Naregaon. To project a flashy lifestyle, he borrowed second-hand bikes from friends and used them to harass citizens especially women while filming their terrified reactions for reels. Ijaz, who operated the camera, was also taken into custody. Both have since apologized while in detention.

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City’s patience wears thin

The youths modified silencers to amplify noise and sped through areas like Aurangpura, MGM College, Devgiri College, Chhatrapati College, Railway Station, Jyotinagar, and Kalagram Road. Their disruptive behavior caused public distress, especially among women. After their arrest, police issued a strict warning to all those misusing bikes and social media to intimidate or endanger others.

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(WITH PHOTO)