MUMBAI: Authorities in Malad have taken into custody a 54-year-old autorickshaw operator accused of sexually harassing a 17-year-old college student before ejecting her from his vehicle while it was in motion. The alarming episode, which unfolded on a busy Mumbai road, prompted a rapid police response after the distressed teenager raised the alarm.
The suspect, identified as Keshav Prasad Yadav from Kandivali West, faces charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as provisions related to attempted murder. Officers from the Malad police station lodged the formal complaint on Monday, December 9, citing sections 79 (for violating a woman’s dignity) and 109 (for attempt to kill) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alongside section 12 of the POCSO Act concerning child sexual harassment.
The ordeal began on December 8 around 4:30 p.m., when the victim, enrolled at a prominent college in Malad West, hailed Yadav’s autorickshaw on S.V. Road. She directed him toward Surana Hospital in Orlem, Malad West, and initially took a seat on the right side. Citing ongoing road repairs, the driver suggested she shift to the central position for better access, given she was traveling solo—a move that later fueled suspicions.
Rather than following her specified path, Yadav veered onto an unfamiliar route. Through the rearview mirror, he repeatedly directed lewd signals at her, escalating her unease. When she demanded he pull over, he accelerated instead. In a panic, she cried out for assistance, only to be met with threats. After a tense pause, her renewed screams prompted a violent reaction: Yadav allegedly shoved her from the still-moving rickshaw onto a crowded thoroughfare teeming with oncoming traffic, seemingly with lethal intent.
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Bruised but resolute, the young woman made her way home and, supported by her mother and sister, reported the assault at the Malad police station. Investigators wasted no time, deploying Assistant Police Inspector Raiwade and Police Sub-Inspector Tushar Sukhdeve to scour the scene. By scrutinizing footage from approximately 30 nearby CCTV cameras, they pinpointed the rickshaw’s registration and tracked its final position to Kandivali West.
Within hours, the team located the vehicle parked on Mathuradas Road, where Yadav was reportedly dozing inside. He was promptly detained, and a local court ordered his remand in police custody through December 11. Detectives noted that Yadav lives out of the autorickshaw, which, though registered to someone else, belongs to him outright. A background check revealed no previous offenses on his record.
The probe unfolded under the oversight of Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Jadhav and Senior Police Inspector Dushyant Chavan at Malad station, underscoring the force’s commitment to swift justice in cases of gender-based violence.
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