The Malad Police in Mumbai have arrested a 54-year-old auto-rickshaw driver for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl inside his vehicle and pushing her out of the moving rickshaw when she screamed for help.
According to the police, the incident took place on Monday evening. A college student from Malad was waiting for an auto-rickshaw on SV Road to return home after classes. She boarded the accused driver’s auto and told him she needed to go to Malad (West). The driver asked her to sit in the middle of the seat, claiming that road repair work was underway and if she sat on one side, the rickshaw would tilt.
After she sat inside, the driver allegedly took the rickshaw in the wrong direction and started staring at her through the rear-view mirror. He reportedly winked at her multiple times and made obscene gestures. Terrified by his behaviour, the girl immediately asked him to stop the rickshaw. Instead, the driver increased the speed of the vehicle. When the girl began screaming for help, the accused allegedly pushed her out of the moving rickshaw and fled the spot.
Following the incident, the girl called her sister and narrated the ordeal. Her sister rushed to the spot and took her to a nearby hospital, as she had sustained injuries after being pushed out. The girl’s mother later approached the Malad Police and lodged a complaint.
Taking the matter seriously, the police registered an FIR against the unidentified driver under Sections 79 and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
Police said CCTV footage from the area helped identify the rickshaw and trace its last known location in Kandivali. The accused was identified as Keshav Prasad Yadav (54).
After several hours of search, the police apprehended the rickshaw driver. Officials said the accused will be produced before the court on Wednesday.