A 32-year-old man, a resident of Noida’s Sector 99, is under custody for allegedly exposing himself onboard a Metro train on the evening of August 26 and sexually harassing a 25-year-old woman from Delhi, between the Sector 16 and Sector 18 Metro stations, police said on Sunday. He was inebriated at the time of the incident, police said.
According to the version of events shared by the police, fellow passengers noticed the alleged obscenity, caught hold of the suspect and handed him over to the police. Subsequently, a case was registered at the Sector 20 police station.
Additional deputy commissioner of Noida police Sumit Shukla said, “The suspect has been identified as Shiv Kumar Gupta, a resident of Sector 99 in Noida. Earlier, he used to work as a driver but is presently employed at a factory. The suspect was produced before the court a day later. No previous crime records against him were found.”
An official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said they would not be making any additional comment in the matter since it is an ongoing police investigation. “The DMRC will definitely extend all possible cooperation in the investigation,” the official said.
Police said that the woman, who works at a private company, is a resident of east Delhi.
In her complaint to the police, the woman stated, “On August 26, around 7:30 pm, when I was returning home from Gurugram using the metro service, I changed lines at Yamuna Bank to board another metro heading towards Noida Electronic City.”
“When the metro reached Noida Sector 15, a man from behind asked whether I was alighting at Noida Sector 18 station. After moving slightly to give some space, I replied that I would also alight at Sector 18 station. The man then stood closely behind me and touched me inappropriately,” reads the FIR.
Police said that when other passengers travelling in the metro, along with the victim, noticed the man exposing himself, they caught him red-handed and handed him over to the police.
“A case under sections 75(1)(i) (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures) and 79 (words, gestures, or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Sector 20 police station, and further investigation is underway,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.