Man drags woman by hair, tears clothes, molests and tries to strangle her on Mumbai train

The accused -- identified as a cabbie from Byculla -- and the victim knew each other before she got married

A 32-year-old taxi driver was arrested for allegedly trying to kill a woman, whom he had known before her marriage, on a local train near Sion on Thursday night.

A video grab of the assault. (Courtesy: Railways)

A video of the incident has gone viral on the social media. It shows Rafiq Chinkan Ali Khan hitting the woman on her chest and trying to strangle her, said a Dadar GRP officer. Co-passengers remained mute spectators to the assault.

What enraged Khan was the woman’s refusal to show him the call log, said the officer.

The Dadar GRP said the woman got acquainted with Khan when he used to drop her to her office at Agripada. The woman has helped Khan, a resident of Reay Road, several times with money for his taxi repairs and house expenses, said a GRP officer.

On Thursday evening, the woman left from Byculla by train to meet her husband at Dombivli. Khan told her to meet him at Dombivli railway station.

At 10.40pm, Khan and the woman boarded a coach for differently-abled people from Dombivli. The train was heading to CSMT.

“When the train reached Thane, the woman began asking him about her money and why he was harassing her,” said Samadhan Pawar, deputy commissioner, Central Railway.

Police officers further said that when the train reached Sion, the woman received a call. On asking about the caller, she refused to tell him. The refusal irked Khan.

Co-passengers in the train shot a video of the assault and called the GRP.

Officers boarded the train in Dadar and arrested Khan on various charges. The woman was rushed to hospital, said GRP officials.