Labourer arrested for making lewd gestures at women commuters in local trains | Mumbai news

Mumbai: A 35-year-old labourer, accused of making obscene gestures at multiple women commuters on local trains, was arrested on Tuesday by the Dadar Government Railway Police (GRP). The accused, identified as Rahul Jagdhane, had been evading arrest for weeks.

According to Dadar GRP officials, the most recent incident occurred on February 20 at around 10:15 pm. A 23-year-old woman was travelling in the ladies’ compartment of a local train when she noticed Jagdhane seated in the adjacent compartment meant for persons with disabilities. She told the police that he began making lewd gestures at her. Alarmed, she alerted other women in the compartment, but the accused fled as the train neared Dadar station.

The woman promptly reported the incident to the GRP, leading to the registration of a case against him. During their investigation, police scanned CCTV footage from railway platforms and found multiple recordings of Jagdhane switching trains frequently and entering and exiting railway premises in an attempt to evade capture.

The breakthrough came on Tuesday when a special women’s police squad, which had been tracking the suspect for a month, spotted him travelling in the disabled coach of a local train at Ghatkopar. With the help of patrolling personnel, officers apprehended him and brought him to the Dadar GRP station. He has been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for outraging the modesty of women.

“We have arrested the accused and are investigating whether he has targeted other women,” said a senior officer from Dadar GRP.