5, including 2 minors, sexually harass women at Mumbai’s Marine Drive; 3 arrested

The minors were sent to a correction home.

Acting on a case of alleged sexual harassment reported by an eyewitness, the Marine Drive police arrested three men on Saturday, for harassing three women walking along Marine drive last week.

he men sexually harassed the women, who pleaded with the bikers to leave them alone, said police. (HT File)

Police said two more accused are minors and have been sent to a children’s correction home.

Police said Ashit Shroff, 57, an executive at a finance firm and a Churchgate resident, was jogging at 5.20 am on Thursday when he saw the five men on two bikes approaching the women.

“The men sexually harassed the women, who pleaded with the bikers to leave them alone. The accused also passed sexually explicit comments and asked the women for their mobile numbers. When Shroff intervened, they got scared and fled,” said an officer.

Acting on information, cops traced Prem Nikalje, 21; Jagmohan Prasad, 21; Vikas Chourasia, 21, and the two minors on Saturday. All are Chembur residents.

They were booked under sections 354 (criminal force on a woman outraging her modesty), 509 (act, word or gesture intended to insult modesty of a woman), 143 (unlawful assembly) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and 110 (behaving indecently in public) of the Maharashtra Police Act.