20-year-old arrested for staring at woman patient at TMC Covid hospital

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Thursday filed a suo moto complaint at Kapurbawdi police station against a 20-year-old man for stalking a woman patient admitted to the Covid hospital set up by the civic body at Global Impact Hub in Balkum.

Kapurbawdi police arrested the accused, Fazlehaq Mohammed Ummar Khan, a resident of Turbhe, under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for insulting the dignity of a woman.

TMC has now increased security at the hospital and set up surveillance cameras.

On Tuesday, the victim had complained to the hospital authority that a labourer who was repairing the washroom in the hospital, was staring at her. Based on CCTV footage, the accused was identified as Khan, who was working at the facility as a plumber on a contract basis

When the hospital staff approached him, an argument ensued and Khan was beaten by a crowd when he tried to escape. A video of the attack was shared on social media, following which the civic body decided to take action. However, the woman victim was not ready to file a complaint.

“We took the victim’s statement but she was not keen on filing a complaint. However, later the civic body approached up to file a first information report (FIR) on the incident. With the help of the CCTV footage, we identified and arrested the accused on Thursday evening,” said Anil Deshmukh, senior inspector, Kapurbawdi police station.

Vishwanath Kelkar, deputy commissioner, TMC, said, “Immediately after the incident, we increased security at the hospital gates and added surveillance cameras at various points in the building. We have decided to file a complaint as such incidents should not be ignored.”

(inputs by Anamika Gharat)