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A 25-year-old merchant navy officer was arrested for allegedly stalking and harassing a Delhi University student, the police said.
According to PTI, the incident was reported from southeast Delhi's Amar Colony and the man was arrested on Friday, 20 April.
The student claimed that the man met her at a park a few months ago and had asked for her phone to make a call as his phone's battery was out of charge. He also convinced the girl to share her number and started messaging and calling her, the police said.
While the girl reportedly tried to block his phone number, he kept calling her from unknown numbers and harassing her, following which she approached the police.
A case was registered under Sections 354-D (stalking), 506 (threatening) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code by the Delhi Police.
“After lodging an FIR, police started their investigation and, with the help of technical surveillance, arrested the accused. During questioning, the accused told police he used to approach women in public using the same method,” a police officer told the The Indian Express.
The fact that stalking is still a bailable offence in our country allows stalkers to get bail without serious scrutiny. This often puts the survivors at risk of facing acid attacks, rape, and even murder.
Stalking as a separate offence did not exist in the IPC till 2013. This necessarily affects any analysis of the statistics relating to stalking, as the National Crime Records Bureau (“NCRB”) only has statistical data for the years 2014-2016. Despite this, the data available paints an interesting picture of the nature of the crime and the way it is being dealt with in the country.
Also Read: #TalkingStalking Ep 1: Cops Turned Her Away, She Turned To Us
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)
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