A 22-year-old man who molested a 16-year-old college-going girl inside a moving auto-rickshaw in Bandra has been arrested by the Bandra Police. The accused, who had come to the area for a casual visit, forcibly entered the rickshaw and committed the act in broad daylight.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon when the victim, a Bandra resident, boarded a rickshaw near Boston Hotel on S.V. Road to travel to her college. Around 12 noon, as the rickshaw stopped at a signal near Saibaba Hotel, a young man wearing a black shirt suddenly entered the vehicle. Both the driver and the girl asked him to leave, but he refused, claiming he only needed to travel a short distance and couldn’t find another rickshaw. Despite their objections, he forcibly remained inside.
When the signal turned green, the accused took out a sharp weapon and threatened to kill them if the rickshaw stopped. Terrified, the driver continued driving. During the journey, the man molested the girl. As the rickshaw halted at the next signal, he jumped out and fled.
Arrest Based on CCTV Footage
Given the severity of the case, multiple police teams were deployed to track down the suspect. Using CCTV footage, the accused was identified as Atik Shaikh (22) and arrested from Vikhroli. Shaikh, who works at a jewelry shop, had visited Bandra’s Bandstand area for a walk. Spotting the girl alone in the rickshaw, he seized the opportunity, entered the vehicle, and used a cutter to threaten the girl and the driver before committing the crime, said Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Marathe of Bandra Police Station.
The police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 74 (Outraging the modesty of a woman/molestation), 78 (Obscene acts), and 79 (Stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Additionally, the case falls under Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Though the accused has no prior criminal record, the police believe the crime was a result of premeditated, opportunistic behavior.
