Sanitation supervisor held for stalking, assaulting widow in Chennai

CHENNAI: City police have arrested a 26-year-old sanitation supervisor for trespassing into a widow's home, threatening her with a knife, and physically assaulting her.

An official release from the police here on Sunday said that the accused, identified as Suresh (26) of Vyasarpadi, was a supervisor at the Central Railway Station where the 37-year-old victim previously worked on a contract basis.

According to the police, Suresh frequently harassed the woman using foul language with improper intentions.

Unable to bear the harassment, the mother of three quit her job a month ago and took up sanitation work at a local school. However, Suresh continued to stalk and harass her over phone calls.

The ordeal escalated in the early hours of Saturday when Suresh knocked on her house door.

As she opened it, he verbally abused her, forcibly barged inside, and physically assaulted her. He then whipped out a knife and struck her. Hearing her screams, her children and neighbours rushed to her aid, forcing Suresh to brandish his weapon and flee the spot.

Following a complaint lodged by the victim, the Thiruvotriyur police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman (TNPHW) Act.

A special police team led by the station inspector apprehended Suresh and seized the knife used in the crime. He was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.