In the first of a four-part series on problems faced by women living on their own in the city, MiD DAY does a sting to show how cops pose irksome questions instead of lodging a complaint when a woman reports a crime

After two gang rapes within a matter of days shocked the city this month, MiD DAY tried to find out how a lone woman fares when she has to lodge a police complaint in the city. Are the police sensitised enough towards crimes against women?

Do they take prompt and relevant action? Do they guide the victim properly on the law and her rights?

These questions become all the more important when the woman has nobody else to turn to in the city, should an untoward incident happen. And there are many women who come to the city to live on their own, from students to young working professionals, especially women employed in the IT sector.

Our 'complainant'
MiD DAY sent a 'complainant', Sonia Rodrigues, to police stations and chowkies posing as a lone woman in distress.

Her line was that she had just faced eve teasing from two men on a motor-cycle.

Our undercover agent visited two police stations and two police chowkies after midnight, and what she found was it was tough to get the police to even take down a complaint, forget acting on it with any sense of urgency.

Here is what we found where we went.

Deccan police station
(April 13, 1.40 am)
Report card: Least concerned, put complainant through a flood of questions