The Vasai Government Railway Police on Thursday arrested four women commuters for assaulting a Virar-based engineering college student in the ladies’ coach of a Churchgate-bound local on Tuesday. They were presented before the Vasai Court and released on a cash bail of Rs. 5,000. They have been told to be present before the Vasai Court on August 1.
The women have been identified as Dipali Sawant (45) from Nalla Sopara, who works as a maid in Grant Road, Neha Thakur (24) from Nalla Sopara, who is an accounts assistant in a south Mumbai chartered accountancy firm, Naina Thakur (50) from Virar, who works as a clerk in the Sessions Court, Mumbai, and Ashwini Gurav (24) from Nalla Sopara, who is an accountant with a chartered accountancy firm in Elphistone Road, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Deoraj.
Mr. Deoraj said Rutuja Naik, a first-year computer engineering student of a Vasai college, regularly boards the 8.40 a.m. Churchgate local from Virar to get down at Vasai. “On Tuesday, Ms. Naik’s first class concession pass expired. So, she purchased a second class ticket. She was standing near the footboard, when the women accused questioned her about her destination. Ms. Naik said she wanted to alight at Vasai to attend her college. This made the four women angry and they assaulted her. They pulled her T-shirt to prevent her from getting down at Vasai.”
“In the commotion, Ms. Naik suffered an asthmatic attack and her other fellow travellers offered her water before she was able to alight at Vasai and lodge a complaint,” said Mr. Deoraj.
“We kept a vigil by women police personnel in civvies at the same platform on Thursday and when the 8.40 a.m. local arrived, Mr. Naik identified the four assailants and we took them into our custody,” said Mr. Deoraj.
