19-year-old girl molested, slapped by auto driver near Mumbai

Mumbai city news: When the girl asked him to stop the auto, an argument ensued between them, and Pitale turned around and slapped the girl.

In the second such incident in past two days, a teenage girl was molested and assaulted by an auto driver at Thane.

On Friday morning, the 19-year-old girl, a resident of Thane rural, came to Thane as she works in private firm there. " The victim and her friend hailed a rickshaw. An unknown man also sat in rickshaw with them" said a police officer from Thane nagar police station.

“As the auto driver headed towards Khopat, she noticed the driver, Mahendra Arun Pitale,49, was going the wrong way. When she asked him to stop, an argument ensued between them, and Pitale turned around and slapped the girl. The victim then got down from the rickshaw and started shouting at him. Pitale the assaulted her and touched her inappropriately ," added officer.

When people nearby witnessed the incident, they beat up Pitale and handed him over to the police.

The police at Thane nagar station are in the process of registering a case against Pitale.

On Wednesday, a 20-year-old college student was returning home , when the a 27-year-old autorickshaw driver, identified as Sikandar Nisar Shaikh, made an obscene gesture at her near Alok hotel at Thane station. The auto driver was later arrested.