Police Arrest Cab Driver, Friend For Molesting Woman

The L B Nagar police arrested two persons on Thursday night for allegedly attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman inside a cab, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

One of the arrested was stated to be a newly recruited police constable.

The arrested persons are Danturi Venu, cab driver and resident of Jaipuri Colony, Nagole, and his friend Birudula Immanuel, resident of Madhura Nagar Colony, Neredmet.

According to the Rachakonda Police Commissioner, the woman engaged a cab at about 3:30 am on Wednesday at L B Nagar to go to her native place Guntur. The cab driver Venu's friend Immanuel joined them on the way, and the two of them started harassing her sexually. When she raised a hue and cry, some persons gathered, and Immanuel got off the cab and fled.

Venu proceeded towards Choutuppal and once again started molesting her. When she started screaming, he pushed her out and fled back towards Hyderabad.

The police registered a case under the Nirbhaya Act and took both the miscreants into custody.

As the woman had to go to Guntur for important work, the police sent her there under police escort and safely handed her over to her parents.

In an advisory to women, Police Commissioner Bhagawat said that they should avoid long distance single passenger travel in unknown private vehicles at odd hours of the night, and should opt for trains, buses and other mass transport systems.

He added that over 60,000 cabs in the city were registered with the police and had stickers provided by the police. "The passengers, especially women, should take a picture of the sticker and forward it to their relatives, just in case there is an emergency," he said. "Before boarding a vehicle, they should also text the vehicle number and their travel programme to thir close ones. Hawkeye will help you if you have a smartphone. Carry pepper stray in a bag. In case of emergency, dial 100."