Pune Sees Spike in Molestation Cases in February, Raises Concern for Women's Safety

Pune: Six incidents of molestation were reported from different police stations in the city like Yerawada, Chandannagar, Kondhwa and Hadapsar. Sagar Gaikwad (22), a resident of Satranali, Thange Basti, Hadapsar, has been booked for molestation on the basis of a complaint lodged by an 18-year-old woman at Hadapsar police station. He repeatedly called the girl's mobile phone. He also followed her, held her hand, and molested her while she was on her way home from work. The incident took place on DP Road in Hadapsar between January 19 and February 13.

In the second incident, a woman returned Rs 16.40 lakh of the Rs 20.60 lakh she had owed to a man who demanded sexual pleasure in exchange for the remaining money. His accomplice also tried to threaten to kill her daughter. The accused have been identified as Suresh Nigunda Naik (resident of Belagavi, Karnataka) and Siddharth Ashok Shinde (resident of Krishnanagar, Mohammadwadi Road, Hadapsar). A 27-year-old woman has filed a complaint in this regard. The incident took place between 2020 and February 10. 

In the third incident, which took place around 3 pm on February 12 at Hill Mist Harmani in Kondhwa, a woman was molested by the man who had wanted to hire domestic help. A case has been registered against Avant Jackwani at Kondhwa police station. A 24-year-old woman has filed a complaint in this regard.

In the fourth incident, a 31-year-old woman was sent obscene messages on WhatsApp by a man. The accused has been identified as Vilas Sakte (40), a resident of Anandnagar, Mundhwa. A case has been registered against him at Chandannagar police station. The incident took place on February 3.

In the fifth incident, an OTP was sent to the woman's mobile phone, and her mobile was hacked. The accused later morphed her using a photo from her mobile phone to make obscene videos. The video was later sent to her husband. After the incident, the 22-year-old woman lodged a complaint against the mobile phone holder at Yerawada police station. The incident took place between February 2 and 8.