A 38-year-old autorickshaw driver was arrested from Chanakyapuri for allegedly molesting and passing lewd remarks at a Nigerian woman passenger. The incident occurred in South Avenue on Tuesday evening. The victim had come to Delhi around six months ago.
Police said that the accused has been identified as Arun Kumar, who resides in Mangolpuri with his family. “The incident occurred on Tuesday around 8 pm when the 36-year-old victim, after attending a seminar in Teen Murti, was returning home. She boarded an autorickshaw from South Avenue for her residence in RK Puram,” said a senior police officer said.
She was talking to her friend over the phone, when suddenly the driver began passing lewd comments. “When she objected, he molested and abused her. She started screaming for help. Fearing arrest, the accused dumped her around 50 metres from Chanakyapuri Police Station and fled,” the officer added.
The victim made a call to the police control room. “After receiving the call, police reached the spot and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital for first aid. She later left
the hospital without lodging a complaint, but on Wednesday she was approached by the police and her statement was recorded. On the basis of the victim’s complaint, a case was registered against the accused autorickshaw driver at Chanakyapuri Police Station of New Delhi district,” said the officer, adding that after registering a case, police started their investigation and scanned CCTV footage of the nearby traffic signals.
Investigators took note of the autorickshaw number and an inquiry with the transport authority revealed that the vehicle was registered on one Arun’s name. After collecting all evidence, a raid was conducted and the accused was arrested on Wednesday night from his residence.