Mumbai: A 27-year-old French embassy staffer was allegedly molested in Bandra past midnight, prompting a swift Mumbai Police hunt that ended with the arrest of a Dharavi resident tracked through an extensive CCTV trail.
The woman, who works at the French consulate, was walking back to her accommodation around 12:25 am on November 8 after visiting a friend near Sherly Rajan Road in Bandra (West), the HT reported. A scooterist approached her, allegedly touched her inappropriately, and sped off.
She immediately went to the Khar police station, where an FIR was registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for outraging a woman’s modesty.
Police teams then launched a coordinated chase using CCTV feeds across Bandra, Khar and adjoining areas. Investigators examined over 50 cameras to trace the suspect’s movements and match the scooter, eventually following the trail all the way to Dharavi.
The accused, identified as Sunil Vishnu Waghela, was picked up from Dharavi on Monday. Police also seized the two-wheeler believed to have been used in the incident.
The investigation progressed rapidly due to the clear CCTV trail, helping the team zero in on the suspect within 24 hours of receiving the complaint, a senior officer said, as quoted by HT.
The accused is expected to be produced in court, and officials said the CCTV footage and other evidence will be submitted to support the case.
Police have tightened routine checks in the area following the incident, which has drawn attention to the safety of foreign nationals working in Mumbai.
