Civil engineer arrested for alleged sexual harassment of bike taxi passenger in Chennai
Accused from Namakkal reportedly took up bike-taxi driving as part-time job
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CHENNAI: Teynampet police arrested a 45-year-old civil engineer, working in Chennai, for the alleged sexual harassment of a young woman passenger during a bike-taxi ride in the city.
The accused has been identified as Sathishkumar, a resident of Bodinayakkanpatti in Senthamangalam, Namakkal. He works for a private construction company in Teynampet and reportedly took up bike-taxi driving as a part-time job to tackle financial difficulties.
The victim, a young woman, originally from Gujarat and currently residing in Purasawalkam, works as a manager at a private company in Teynampet.
According to her complaint, she had been taking Sathishkumar's bike-taxi service booked via the Uber app for her commute to work for approximately 20 days, after Sathishkumar suggested he could pick her up daily.
The incident occurred on Thursday morning when Sathishkumar was plying on the Anna Flyover. The victim reported that Sathishkumar inappropriately touched her thigh while she was seated behind him. Despite her objections, he repeatedly touched her between her thighs and dropped her at her office in Teynampet as usual and left.
Distressed over the incident, the woman informed her relatives and initially approached the Vepery Police Station. As the alleged crime occurred within Teynampet police limits, she was advised to file a complaint there.
She subsequently lodged a formal complaint at the Teynampet Police Station on Thursday. Following this, the woman contacted Sathishkumar, requested a ride to Purasawalkam, pretending everything was normal. Sathishkumar reportedly arrived at the specified location and upon his arrival, the woman and her relatives, who were waiting for him, caught him and handed him over to the Teynampet Police.
The Teynampet Police have arrested Sathishkumar and registered a case against him under two sections, including Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. Police officials confirmed that Sathishkumar is married and his family resides in his native village.
