Mumbai Crime: Drunk 'Singer' Stalks & Slashes Woman With Blade In Bhayandar; Held

Mira Bhayandar, July 31: In yet another incident which raises a serious question mark on the safety of women, a 30-year-old man was arrested by the crime branch unit (Zone I) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police for allegedly stalking and assaulting a woman with a blade in Bhayandar.

According to the police, the incident was reported from the Sai Baba Nagar area of Bhayandar (east) at around 11:50 pm on 23, July. The 23-year-old woman who works at a call centre was on her way home when an unidentified man hugged her from behind by taking advantage of the darkness and demanded sexual favours from her.

The man who was apparently stalking the woman from the railway station was said to be in an inebriated state.  When the woman resisted his attempts and raised an alarm, the man attacked her with a blade on her left hand and rained blows on her before fleeing the spot. In a state of shock, the terrified mustered courage and registered a complaint with the Navghar police station, two days after the incident.

Sensing the seriousness of the incident, MBVV police chief- Madhukar Pandey directed the crime branch unit to conduct parallel investigations into the case and nab the culprit at the earliest.

A team led by police inspector- Aviraj Kurade visited the crime scene and scanned closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and ascertained the identity of the accused as-Deepak Govind Mali (30). The team activated their informer network and based on a tip-off arrested Mali from his tenement in the Ganpat Patil Nagar area of Borivali (west) on Sunday night. Mali, a small-time singer who performs in local events, confessed to the crime.

Investigations revealed his involvement in a similar offence for which he was arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Borivali last year. He was currently out on bail.

Meanwhile an offence under sections 74(assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 76 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe),78 (stalking) and 118 (1) for voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means, of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 has been registered against Mali who was remanded to police custody after he was produced before the court on Monday. The Navghar police is conducting further investigations into the case.