In a serious case of alleged misuse of government machinery by a policeman, a constable in Gurugram not only stalked a woman in his official vehicle but even got her details by running her car number apparently through a tracing system.
While the policeman has since been suspended and a case registered against him, the woman later shared a video on her Instagram handle to detail the incident, which has now gone viral.
'Said police have really sharp eyes, you are beautiful’
Shiwangi Peswani, a social media influencer with about 2 lakh followers, said the incident occurred around two weeks ago, around 12.30 am on the night of September 14-15, while she was driving home. She alleged that a police control room (PCR) vehicle followed her car for part of the journey. But it did not end there.
About 15 minutes later, at home, she allegedly received a comment on one of her Instagram reels from an account named ‘Simran Chopra’, purportedly a woman, which read, "Ma'am, are you the same person who came to RD Colony 15 minutes ago?"
The person on the other end told her details like which gates she had used to enter her locality, and what car she was driving.
{{/usCountry}}The person on the other end told her details like which gates she had used to enter her locality, and what car she was driving.
{{/usCountry}}“I thought it was some female fan who spotted me and sent me the message on one of my reels,” Shiwangi Peswani said in the video.
When she asked how the person spotted her so late, she got a reply that said in Hindi that “police have really sharp eyes; let's speak in direct messages (DM)”.
“I was shocked. That's when I recalled that a PCR van was hovering around me. I suspected it was that cop, so I messaged that Insta handle asking who it was and why the messages. That person replied, ‘I am the policeman who was sitting in a PCR, and saw you, really liked you, so I traced your details through the car number.’ He said he found me thereafter on Instagram,” Peswani said.
Her three-minute video on Instagram detailing her experience was viewed by nearly 40,000 people and garnered more than 2,000 comments by September 27 evening in less than four days.
"If I, at nearly 50, have to encounter this, what must young girls face?" she asked, emphasising that she will not rest until the constable faces appropriate consequences.
After she went to social media about it, on her post on X, Gurugram Police replied: “Legal action has already been initiated, including registration of a First Information Report (FIR). Simultaneously, departmental proceedings have also been set into motion. It is further made clear that the matter shall be pursued with utmost seriousness.”
She approached the cyber crime (east) police station on September 16 and filed a written complaint with screenshots of the comments and messages, it is learnt. An FIR was registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including outraging a woman’s modesty; and the constable was suspended. Police have withheld his identity.
'Cops told me he just wanted friendship, you block him'
In her video, the influencer alleged that some station personnel downplayed the offence, telling her he had “no bad intentions, only wanted friendship”. They allegedly said: "You have two lakh followers, how long will you keep complaining? Just block such people and move on.”
Sandeep Turan, public relations officer, Gurugram police, said senior officials acted promptly once informed. “Orders were given for a thorough probe, after which an FIR was filed. We are checking whose profile was used to initiate contact with the influencer and how he obtained her details,” he said.
The constable was immediately suspended, Turan added, stressing that such misconduct would not be tolerated.