16-year-old assaulted in Mumbai for confronting friend’s ‘stalker’

Teen suffers skull fracture after one of the assailants hit him with paver block

A 16-year-old boy was assaulted on Friday evening when he got into an altercation with another teenaged boy who has allegedly been stalking a teenaged girl for two years.

The incident took place in Charkop, Kandivli (West), close to a police station. (/Picture for representation)

The incident took place in Charkop, Kandivli (West), close to a police station. The 16-year-old suffered a skull fracture and had to get six stitches. He has since been discharged from the hospital.

The Charkop police have registered a case of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and criminal intimidation and are on the lookout for the 16-year-old’s attacker.

On Friday evening, around 6.30pm, the 16-year-old boy was walking in Sector 8 in Charkop, with another male friend.

The two happened to meet a female friend, who is also a teenager. While chatting with her, the 16-year-old boy noticed another boy in the distance, staring at the girl. He asked her about him.

“She told me the boy has been stalking her for the last two years. When I tried to take a good look at him, he confronted me,” said the 16-year-old.

The alleged stalker was accompanied by a friend whom the Charkop police suspect is an adult. He slapped the 16-year-old and hit him with a paver block during their altercation.

The 16-year-old suffered a skull fracture and had to get six stitches on his head. His father said officers were initially only willing to register a non-cognisable complaint.

However, they agreed to file a first information report (FIR) after seeing the boy’s injuries. While the FIR mentions the 16-year-old was attacked by a juvenile accompanied by three accomplices, it does not mention the allegation of stalking.

Senior inspector Hemant Sawant said the FIR was drawn up on the basis of what the 16-year-old boy’s family told the police.

When asked why the allegation of stalking was not included, Sawant said, “Once the FIR is registered, the girl comes into the picture. If there was an issue with the boy [the alleged stalker], why did she not come here immediately?”

According to the 16-year-old’s father, the girl and her parents have gone to Charkop police station to file a complaint. “On Saturday morning, the police told them not to worry and that they will add the sections in the FIR,” the 16-year-old’s father said.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, the alleged stalker was brought to the police station for questioning, and later allowed to leave.

“When we questioned the boy, he pinned the blame on his friend. We will get all the assailants and then decide on a further course of investigation,” said Sawant.