Even as the state and the police struggle to curb crime against women in the city through helplines and special squads, a group of residents in Bandra (west) decided they would not tolerate the harassment of a teenager from their locality and taught the eve-teaser a lesson.
Residents got a driver, Nitin Karvade, 27, arrested on Monday for persistently harassing a 16-year-old girl. The accused used to hang around with a group of valet drivers employed by two nearby restaurants, and for two weeks he had been following the girl every day from her home to Bandra station, residents said.
The teenager told her parents after the accused tried to stop her and allegedly passed lewd remarks. Her father and residents tracked the driver and caught him red-handed on 28th Road. “We called the police and got him arrested,” said Manuella Saldanha, secretary of the Area Locality Management 154.
Inspector DS Patil from Bandra police station visited the locality and promised residents they would be safe. The driver was kept in the lock-up overnight and booked for eve-teasing.