The police are adopting a policy of ‘name and shame’ when it comes to identifying and punishing people who harass women.
They have prepared a portrait of a person who harassed a woman on a bus near Chetpet on November 14.
The police said this was the first time a portrait was being drawn in the case, and this would serve as a deterrent to such incidents. This method could be tried out in other parts of the city, too.
The woman was harassed by a co-passenger when she was travelling from Broadway to Koyambedu at night. The man jumped off the bus when it was nearing Chetpet.
The victim was taken to the Crime Records Bureau, where a portrait was drawn based on the details she provided.
Wheatish complexionThe man appeared to be in his mid-40s and was of wheatish complexion, said G. Harikumar, Law and Order Inspector at the Chennai Moffusil Bus Terminus (CMBT) station.
The portrait was given to all policemen to be shown to the conductors and drivers in Broadway and CMBT. If they spotted the suspect, they should hand him over to the nearest police station, an officer said.
Besides, women constables were deployed as decoys on buses plying between the CMBT and Broadway.
“We have nabbed some persons along the route, but they did not resemble the person. We are sure of nabbing him,” Mr. Harikumar said.
Prasanna Jettu, a criminologist from International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care, said: “Teasing women in public places has been happening for many years now. Compared to other cities, Chennai is a much safer place,” she said.
