Mumbai: Woman films man masturbating in front of her on train; accused held

Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Monday arrested a 30-year-old drug addict for allegedly masturbating in a coach reserved for handicapped passengers while ogling at a woman seated in the adjoining ladies’ coach.

The accused, a casual labourer, was travelling from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Masjid railway station on Central Railway’s Harbour Line on Saturday when he perpetrated the act, and was arrested near CSMT.

The complainant, who recorded his act using her mobile phone’s video–recording facility, had alerted the GRP the same night at CSMT.

Railway police officials said the accused was identified as Krupa Patel (30), a native of Odisha, who had boarded the railway coach reserved for the handicapped from platform number 1 at CSMT.

The woman had boarded the general ladies coach of the Belapur-bound train. Patel then started ogling at the complainant and inserted his hand inside his trousers and started pleasuring himself. He alighted at Masjid station and left as the train began moving again. The woman then decided to lodge a complaint with the GRP. She provided officials the video clip that she had shot.

“We circulated his picture among our informers, which helped us learn that he was a drug addict. We learnt that he used to frequent the CSMT premises and hence we had laid a trap around the station,” said inspector Vilas Chowgule of the CSMT GRP.

A police team finally succeeded in catching hold of Patel near the gate of the garden adjoining the CSMT bus terminal on Monday morning. His identity was verified and he was then taken into custody.

The police is now gathering details of his background to ascertain if he has previous criminal cases.

The police will collect his fingerprints and will cross check them with the modus operandi department to get these details, officials said.  The accused has been remanded 15 days’ judicial custody.