Bid to molest and strangle a lady in suburban train

In a shocking incident, a woman was molested by a man who then tried to strangle her on a local train bound for CST on Thursday night. The incident took place in the moving train’s compartment meant for the handicapped -- between Kalyan and Dadar -- even as other passengers watched.

None of the passengers tried to stop the man or pulled the chain to stop the train. A video of the incident was posted on social media and has gone viral.

The man and woman reportedly knew each other and had an altercation in the coach, which reportedly took place between 11 and 11:22 pm. The assault was caught on camera by a co-passenger. In the video, the man can be seen trying to overpower the woman as she tries to fight back. She even comes dangerously close to the train door, which was open.

Co-passengers informed the Dadar police who then arrested the man. A case of attempt to murder and molestation has reportedly been filed.

“The man was identified as Rafique Shaikh who reportedly owed the woman a large amount of money. The duo got into an argument on the issue, following which the man molested and then

tried to strangle the woman,” said GRP official.

A passenger on the train told a leading daily that a guard was asked to pull the emergency alarm, but he refused to respond. “Being 90 per cent disabled, I could not do much to help, as there was a threat to my life if I had intervened. So, I asked the security person, who was in the ladies compartment, to pull the emergency alarm but he did not respond,” he said.

On Friday the GRP produced the accused in court. The court granted police custody till April 9. Further investigations are on.