Hyderabad: Around 20 per cent of those caught by the SHE team for harassing women were senior citizens. In one case, a 63-year-old retired government employee started molesting his granddaughter’s classmate when he used to go to her school to drop her.
After the SHE team received a complaint they checked CCTV footages available in the classroom and arrested the man. The police launched an investigation after the 10-year-old victim’s parents approached the cops alleging that their daughter was molested. Police identified the suspect as 63-year-old retired government employee B. Viswanatham of Himayatnagar.
Police checked CCTV footages of the class and secured evidence against the accused. “He used to go to the classroom to pick up his granddaughter. When he saw the victim in the classroom with not many people around he used to touch her inappropriately,” said a SHE team official.
After investigation the SHE team booked a case under Section 354-A of IPC (molestation) and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
He was later arrested and sent to judicial custody. In another case a 71-year-old man was arrested by the SHE team when he inappropriately touched women at the Koti bus station.
In another incident a 64-year-old man started talking to a woman while she was waiting for a bus at the Kukatpally bus station. When the man started insisting that she should accompany him to a movie and then come to his home she alerted the cops.
Senior citizens were also caught catcalling on the streets, at bus stations and at other public places. During counselling sessions the senior citizens who were caught in action said that they thought they would never get caught by the police.
But, after the police detained them they realised the gravity of their offense and were embarrassed to inform their families, said a police official.
Caught in the act
Senior citizens were also caught catcalling and harassing women on the streets, at bus stations and at many other public places.
After the police detained them they realised the gravity of their act and were embarrassed to inform their kin, a police official said.
