In a shocking incident that exposed lack of security for women travelling in suburban trains of Mumbai, a 23-year-old woman commuter was attacked in the ladies compartment of a Borivali-bound local by a 28-year-old man, after she repulsed a rape attempt by him, in the early hours of Saturday.
Even as the victim woman resisted the attempt by the attacker — identified as one Devraj Hanumant Kanappa — to strangle her, the suburban train pulled into the lower Parel railway station, where commuters and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel standing on the platform — hearing the shrieks of the victim woman — came to her rescue.
The commuters and GRP police personnel caught hold of Devraj, said to be a mason residing in suburban Kurla, as he tried to flee by jumping out of the train from the other side.
That being an early hour of the day, the victim woman was the lone commuter in the ladies compartment. Seeing the woman alone in the compartment, Devraj boarded the same train at the Mahalaxmi station and allegedly molested her.
Having repulsed a sexual assault attempt by the attacker, the victim woman took out her mobile to seek help. At this juncture, Devraj allegedly attempted to strangle her. Before long, the train reached the lower Parel station.
“The accused was in an inebriated state at the time of incident. He sat in front of her and also tried to kiss her. After he was nabbed by our men at lower Parel, we have taken into custody and sent him for a medical test,” senior inspector of GRP Rajendra Trivedi said.
Devaj has been booked under Sections 354 (outraging the modesty of woman) and 37 (attempt to murder) under IPC.