Zakhir Guzariya (46) got up to offer his seat to a 22-year-old college student and then unzipped and began touching himself right next to her face; he dropped his wallet while trying to escape a beating
Less than 48 hours after the police nailed a Colaba-based man for flashing at a US national, a 46-year old unzipped his pants in a moving BEST bus and touched his private parts right next to a 22-year-old college student’s face.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also Read: Man held for masturbating at US woman in Mumbai gets bail
The perverted act followed a chivalrous one, with the man having got up to offer his seat to the student. He reportedly mistook her thank you for a sign of interest.
The 46-year-old lost his wallet while trying to escape a beating from commuters and then sauntered into a police station to report the loss the next day, hoping that doing so would divert attention from the crime.
The cops, who were expecting the move, arrested him, and the timing couldn’t be worse for his family, with his son’s wedding slated for next week.
Chivalry
According to police officials from the Amboli police station, around 7 pm on August 21, the victim, who is a student of an Andheri-based college, was travelling in bus number 224.
Read Story: I was only urinating, says Mumbai youth accused of flashing foreigner
The accused, Zakhir Mohammad Jamal Guzariya (46) a resident of DN Nagar in Andheri, who works at a food joint in Bandra, was seated on a seat reserved for senior citizens. He got up to offer her the seat, and she thanked him. After some time, a ladies seat was vacated and Guzariya sat there. He got up when a woman boarded the bus and went and stood next to the victim.
A police officer said, “The girl had smiled and said thank you to Guzariya for offering her the seat and he thought she was attracted to him. When he was standing next to her, he touched her with his legs, but the girl ignored that, which he mistook as encouragement. He then opened the zip of his trousers and began touching his private parts.”
The woman did not react immediately as she was looking elsewhere and did not realise what he’d done. As soon as she saw the zip open, however, she screamed and called for help.”
Wallet woes
Guzariya immediately zipped up and told the people around him that he hadn’t done anything. However, the commuters and conductor started hitting him. He somehow managed to escape, but his wallet fell out, and the bus conductor and commuters asked the woman to file a complaint.
The incident had taken place near the City Centre mall on the new link road in Andheri. The closest police station is D N Nagar, but the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Amboli police station.
Police Sub-Inspector Maansingh Vachkal of the Amboli police said, “The case was registered under Sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 354A (Sexual harassment) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.
We found an identity card in the wallet, but the address was not clearly mentioned and even the photograph was blurred. There was a bank card too. I gave clear instructions to the officers in the missing department of the police station to detain anyone who came looking for the wallet.
Also Read: Mumbai women open up about molestation encounters
We suspected that the victim would report the loss of his wallet in some police station to divert attention from his crime.” Guzariya went to the Amboli police station the very next day Saturday to file the complaint. A constable from the missing department, who knew about the incident, immediately identified him.
He detained him and sent a photograph to the woman, who identified him instantly. The accused pleaded to be let go as his son was getting married in a week and he had a function to attend on the day of his arrest. PSI Vachkal said, “Guzariya was produced in the holiday court in Bandra on Sunday and remanded in police custody for a day.
We will produce him in the Andheri court on Monday to seek an extension. The woman is very happy that the accused has been arrested and she thanked Mumbai Police and others who helped her.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
