Mumbai Crime Branch Arrests 21-Year-Old Man For Harassing Minor At Juhu Chowpatty

Mumbai: Mumbai Crime Branch officials on Thursday arrested a 21-year-old man withing 12 hours of receiving a complaint that he had allegedly harassed two girls who were walking with a friend at Juhu Chowpatty early this month.

According to the police, the 17-year-old complainant, a student, reported that on August 8, she and a friend went to Chowpatty, where an unknown man followed them to Ananda Cafe, causing fear in both girls. Later, the accused later approached them and harassed the victim.

"The accused also inappropriately touched the complainant, who is a minor. The girl was frightened after the incident, and she filed a complaint with the Juhu Police. The case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act" said the police.

Following the incident, the victim and her friend were initially too scared to report it. However, on Wednesday evening, the victim filed a complaint with the Juhu police station. The police registered a case against the unknown person under sections 74 and 78 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, along with sections 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act on August 21. After registering the case, the police began searching for the accused by reviewing CCTV footage from the area.

Considering the seriousness of the crime, Crime Branch Unit 9 also conducted a parallel search for the accused. Following a tip-off about the suspect, the police set up a trap to apprehend him. He was arrested the same night from the Juhu area.

The accused, identified as Sohan Vishnu Paswan (21), was taken into custody. When the accused was brought to the Crime Branch office, he confessed to the crime. Paswan was subsequently handed over to the Juhu Police. The accused is originally from Motipur in Bihar and does various small jobs in Mumbai.