New Delhi: Three days after a journalist from this newspaper was groped and assulated at ITO metro station, the culprit was arrested on Thursday.
The 25-year-old accused has been identified as Akhilesh and works at a tea stall at ITO. According to the police, the accused was arrested on Thursday evening from ITO.
With a photograph of the accused in hand, the police team after scouring the area finally zeroed-in on him and nabbed him. A police officer said, “The team went with his photograph and inquired about him from at tea stall vendors. Soon, one of the tea vendors identified the accused. We went there and arrested him. The team brought him to the police station and during questioning, he confessed to the crime.”
It may be recalled the incident had taken place at about 9.30 pm on Monday when the journalist stepped inside the ITO metro station from gate no 1 on Deen Dayal Upadhaya Marg to board a train for to go home. The molester touched her inappropriately on her back. When the journalist tried to confront him, he first said sorry, came near her and groped her. When the scribe reprimanded him, he attacked her and fled from the scene. The entire incident has been captured on the CCTV camera installed inside the station. When the CCTV footage was verified by the police, the molester was seen following and attacking the journalist
Akhilesh, a habitual offender, lives with his family in a nearby slum. He has a brother, a mother and sister. In his confession to the police, he allegedly said that he was drunk at the time of the incident. Ranjit Kumar, ACP, Yamuna Bank said, “The accused will be produced in court tomorrow.” The accused had also groped another woman who entered the ITO Metro station from Gate number 2 before he groped the journalist. With his arrest, two cases of molestation and a case of molestation-cum-assault have been solved. More than five police teams were formed who interrogated more than 5,000 people in the past two days and finally, traced him. The police also said that on Tuesday, another woman who was groped by the accused had also filed a police complaint. On Thursday, both the victims identified the accused.
