Two Australian women cricketers stalked, molested in Indore; accused held

BHOPAL: In a shocking incident, two Australian women cricketers visiting India for the ICC Womens Cricket World Cup were allegedly stalked and molested by a motorcycle-borne man in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Acting on the matter, the Indore Police, after registering an FIR on the complaint of the Australian teams security manager, Danny Simmons, tracked and nabbed the accused Aqeel, a resident of Khajrana area, on Friday evening. The incident happened just a day after the Aussie team defeated the English team at Indores Holkar Stadium by six wickets in the ongoing Women's World Cup match. According to Indore Police sources, the incident happened at around 11 am on October 23, while the two players were jogging from the Radisson Blu Hotel where they were staying to a popular caf located in the vicinity. The accused youth, who was driving a motorcycle without a helmet, stalked the two players who were jogging to the caf. The accused, who was wearing a white shirt and a black cap, followed the duo. He first tried to grab one of them and drove off. He didnt stop there but came from behind again and grabbed the other woman cricketer. Shocked by the unruly approach, the duo resisted the conduct to protect their privacy. They sent a distress signal to the teams security manager, Danny Simmons, over the phone through the live location of the place. One of the cricketers then called the teams security manager to inform about the incident, after which the manager rushed to the spot in a car to help the duo. By the time the teams security manager reached the spot, a resident man had come to the two cricketers rescue. He had already noted the registration number of the bike driven by the accused and rang the police about it. The matter was later reported to Indore Police by Simmons with the help of MP Cricket Associations chief administrative officer (CAO) Rohit Pandit, following which an FIR was lodged at the citys MIG Police Station on October 23. The FIR was lodged under BNS Sections 74 and 78, which deal with stalking and outraging a woman's modesty through assault or use of criminal force. With the help of the CCTV grabs and other evidence, the accused was tracked and arrested in less than a day, by October 24 (Friday) evening, additional DCP (ADCP-Crime) Rajesh Dandotiya told TNIE on Saturday. Khan has prior criminal cases registered against him, and an investigation is on in the case, police said.