Mumbai residents were once again shocked by a crime that occurred on suburban trains when a porter reportedly sexually assaulted a 20-year-old student while the train was leaving Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station. The accused was apprehended within eight hours of the incident on Wednesday and will be presented before a city court on Thursday.
The young student was travelling to Belapur in Navi Mumbai to take her exams. She boarded the second-class compartment designated for women in the CSMT-Panvel local train. At that time, there was only one elderly woman present in the coach. As the train began to depart from the platform, a man suddenly entered the compartment, grabbed the girl, and subjected her to a sexual assault while she bravely tried to resist him. Despite the elderly woman's desperate cries and warnings to call the police, the assailant paid no attention. As soon as the train arrived at Masjid station, the student seized the opportunity to escape while the porter fled. She found refuge in a nearby general compartment, deeply shaken and in tears. A compassionate male co-passenger dialed the GRP Helpline to seek assistance.
After the victim filed a police complaint in the afternoon, the Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, and Mumbai Police worked together to locate and apprehend the accused, identified as Nawaz Karim, a 40-year-old porter. Responding swiftly to the helpline call, the police dispatched a team to accompany the student victim to her exam centre in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai. However, upon learning about the traumatic incident she had experienced, the examiner kindly offered to reschedule her exams for another day. Subsequently, the girl was brought back to CSMT, where she officially filed a complaint. Meanwhile, three separate police teams were already investigating the incident, carefully reviewing CCTV footage and conducting investigations in various locations.
Continuing their pursuit of Karim, the GRP teams successfully located him near the Masjid station, apprehended him, and subsequently handed him over to the GRP at CSMT. The accused, reportedly hailing from Bihar, has been arrested and is facing charges of rape and other offences. Today, he will be presented in court for remand, according to an official. The incident has triggered widespread anger and renewed worries regarding women's safety.