Mumbai: 32-year-old man sentenced to 6 months in jail for 'indecent behavior'

The suspect in police custody. Pic/ Gamdevi Police

A 32-year-old man who was arrested for disrobing himself in front of a 23-year-old woman, has now been convicted by the magistrate court for six months.

This is the first of its kind case where the conviction has been announced by the court after the Mumbai police filed chargesheet in 24 hours and the trial was completed in two days.

Last week, the Gamdevi Police arrested Ramlakhan Kanihyalap Harijan, a native of Uttar Pradesh around 100 days after he was booked in connection with a case of indecent behavior.

On June 17 at around 6:30 pm, Ramlakhan, a painter by profession had disrobed himself and then behaved indecently in front of the complainant, a 23-year-old college student while she was on a stroll with her dog near the Kennedy Bridge in south Mumbai. A case was registered under section 509 of the IPC.

Also read: Man who undressed himself, did indecent act in front of woman walking her dog; held in south Mumbai

The police had no information about the accused except for an unclear CCTV footage.

The Gamdevi police distributed more than 200 pamphlets and the accused was nabbed after 100 days. One of the locals who saw his pictures on pamphlets informed the police. After his arrest, cops came to know that he fled to Uttar Pradesh, his home town, and had returned recently.

"A chargesheet was filed in this matter within 24 hours on October 7 before the 40th ACMM Court in this incident in which a person had behaved indecently in front of a college student. The accused was arrested after 100 days of efforts on October 6," said Neelotpal, DCP, Zone 2.

"The Court took the matter on board for trial on October 10 and after two days of trial and testimony from the victim, CCTV footage with 65 B certificates, examination of panchas and IO, the accused has been sentenced to six months of simple imprisonment and was fined Rs 500," the official added.

The complainant penned down an emotional message for Mumbai city after his arrest, and shared it on her Twitter account .

Victims message for Mumbai

A few months ago, I was subject to an incident of sexual harassment. It happened on one of my daily walks, in an area very familiar to me, and close to my home. I froze, and called for help but he was gone by then.

Although I could not provide a whole lot of relevant information, or describe the person too well, the officers at Gamdevi Police Station made sure I was comfortable enough to speak, took down a report. They also sent out patrol cars to find the man in case he was still in the area, but didn't succeed. And honestly, I thought that would be it, considering how vague the information I could provide at that time was.

The police showed up on the same night, and inspected the area, the place of the incident and where he could've escaped to. Months of follow up, and being asked to identifying blurry CCTV footage. I was afraid that I had forgotten what the man looked like and nothing would ever come out of all of this.

Today, after almost 5 months of the incident, I was contacted by Mr. Sandip Mane of Gamdevi Police Station with pictures of the same man. He was sure that he was the right person, and when I saw him, it clicked.

I had given up, but the folks at Gamdevi Police Station had not. I am forever grateful to Mumbai Police for all of their efforts, and how receptive they were to my complaint, how diligent they were with the follow up, and how they did not stop until they found the person.

If you ever find yourself hesitant to report a similar incident, or wonder if it even makes sense to go to the police with it, I encourage you to do so. You can't expect immediate results, but you can expect relentless and consistent efforts that will make you feel safer, and more confident the next time you step out alone.