Mumbai: Alert citizens nab Colaba sex pest in 500-metre chase

Nooren Mohammad Khalid

The pervert, who had been terrorising women in Colaba for nearly two weeks, was finally identified and arrested on Friday. The CCTV grabs published in mid-day helped the hawkers union in SoBo to identify the sex pest, who they chased for over half a kilometre and brought to the police, who then made the arrest.

According to the police, the man, nearly in his 30s, would start following women from Colaba Causeway to enter their unguarded buildings in South Mumbai. The pervert then would masturbate at their doorsteps and latch the door from outside.

The accused has been identified as Nooren Mohammad Khalid, 22, and he is a resident of Govandi, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chaudhary told mid-day.

"He is a tailor by profession, and he is a native of the Basti in UP," said the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Pravin Mundhe.

How arrest was made

Local sources told mid-day that the accused was eyeing some other women to follow. "He was standing near a premium coffee outlet behind the Taj Hotel. We had seen his photographs in mid-day and WhatsApp groups. We matched the photo and identified him," Ismail Shaikh, president of the Colaba Causeway Tourism Hawkers Stall Union, told mid-day.

"After confirming that he is the same person, our hawkers inched closer to him to nab him, but he ran. We chased him and finally nabbed him after nearly 500 metres," he added. Hawkers then dragged the man to Colaba police station, where he was arrested.

Pervez Cooper, a local resident and social worker, thanked mid-day for highlighting the issue that led to the registration of an FIR and his arrest."Thanks to mid-day and the crime reporting team for featuring the escalation of crime and their follow-up that the pervert was nabbed in less than a day. Also kudos to Mumbai police, especially DCP Pravin Munde," said Subhash Motwani, another resident.

"We need responsible reporting and efficient officers like DCP Munde to make Colaba and Mumbai safe again. We got to know that the nabbed pervert is one of the illegal hawkers, and such riffraff elements are not only a menace to society by encroaching on footpaths and roads under the eyes of the police station but are now dangerous to society, especially women," Motwani added.