Russian girl molested by taxi driver in Mumbai

Close on the heels of rape and murder of a teenage British tourist in Goa, a 23-year-old Russian girl was allegedly molested by a taxi driver in a north-west suburb today.

Sayyed Qayyum Sayyed Hafiz's taxi was hired by the Russian girl, who works as a school teacher, from the domestic airport this morning on landing from Goa for visiting a family friend.

"Though she had to be dropped at Juhu which is close by, the driver kept on roaming around the city to increase the fare. It was over two hours and the girl called up her family friend in Bandra using the driver's cell phone," said a senior police officer of the Juhu police station.

Directions were given to the driver and at a short distance from the girl's destination, Hafiz stopped the taxi and molested the girl in the rear seat of the vehicle, the officer said.

"The girl hit the driver in self-defence and was able to free herself. She rushed to the friend's residence and narrated the incident. Hafiz had already fled from the spot but the girl's relative called on his cell phone, forced Hafiz to meet and handed him over to us," said the officer.

Forty two-year-old Hafiz, a resident of Kurla, was arrested immediately and booked under section 354 of the IPC (outraging modesty of a woman).