Two Australian women players were stalked on Khajrana Road; police arrested the accused identified as Akil Khan based on eyewitness input
Bhopal: Two members of the Australian women cricket team visiting India for the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket were “approached and inappropriately touched” by a motorcycle-borne man in Indore in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Saturday.
The accused followed the two women cricketers in his motorcycle when the two cricketers were walking to a popular café in Khajrana Road from their hotel, Radisson Blu Hotel, at around 11 am on Thursday.
He then tried to grab one of them and then fled the spot. He returned again and touched the other cricketer inappropriately before fleeing the area, a complaint lodged in the local police station in connection with the incident said.
The incident shocked the two women cricketers who sent a distress signal to the team’s security manager, Danny Simmons, over phone by providing him their live location. The security manager rushed to the spot in a car and took them back to the hotel in his vehicle, police said.
An FIR was filed in the M.I. G police station in Indore based on the complaint of the Australian team’s security manager Mr. Simmons.
The police sprang to action and tracked and then arrested the accused Aqueel Khan, a resident of Khajrana area, within 24 hours on Friday evening, sources said.
“Cricket Australia can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s Team were approached and touched inappropriately while walking to a café in Indore”, a statement issued by the Cricket Australia on Saturday said.
Sources said that a local man rushed to the spot and tried to calm down the two Australian cricketers and then noted the registration number of the motorcycle of the accused. He then passed on the registration number to the police to help the cops identify the accused.
“A case was registered under Sections 74 and 75 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 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 Friday evening”, Indore deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajesh Dandotia said.
According to the police officer, the accused has prior criminal cases registered against him. The incident happened a day after the Australian team defeated the English team at Indore's Holkar Stadium in the ongoing 13th edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup Cricket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) condemned the incident, describing it ‘unfortunate’. “The entire incident is very unfortunate, and we condemn it. We will take all the required precautions. The police have nabbed the accused”, BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said.
