Indore: A man has been arrested in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on charges of molesting two members of the Australian women’s cricket team that is in India for the ongoing ICC World Cup.
The two women were walking from their hotel to a cafe on Thursday when the accused allegedly touched them in an inappropriate manner. He was on a motorcycle.
The two players immediately sent an SOS notification and security officers attached to the team reached the spot.
Danny Simmons, the Australian team’s security manager, filed a complaint at the MIG police station on Thursday evening. The police registered an FIR and arrested the accused who has been identified as Aqeel Khan.
According to the police, the players had put up at the Radisson Blu Hotel along with the rest of their squad. They were walking in the Khajrana Road area when the incident happened. It was recorded by CCTV cameras and the footage was used by the police to identify the accused.
The two cricketers had stepped out of their hotel and were walking towards a cafe in the morning when a man on a motorcycle started following them. He allegedly touched them inappropriately and rode off, sub-inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi has been quoted as saying.
Upon receiving the complaint, Himani Mishra, assistant commissioner of police, met the two players, recorded their statements, and registered an FIR under Section 74 (use of criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty) and Section 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the MIG police station.
An official said that a bystander noted the suspect’s motorcycle number, based on which the accused, Aqeel Khan, was apprehended. “Khan has prior criminal cases registered against him, and an investigation is ongoing,” Raghuvanshi said.
Australia played against England at Indore on Wednesday.