The Thane police late on Tuesday night arrested Santosh Lokhande (38), the man who molested and assaulted a 23-year-old woman in a moving autorickshaw last week. Lokhande was arrested as he was leaving Thane Civil Hospital, where he was being treated for stomach pain. Lahu Ghogre, who drove the autorickshaw, was also arrested and his vehicle has been seized.
On June 7, the woman hailed an autorickshaw to go home after work. On the way, Ghogre let in Lokhande, who was wearing an auto driver’s uniform. Lokhande molested the woman and pushed her out of the auto. Ghogre refused to stop the vehicle and sped away. The Naupada police, which launched a probe in the case, assumed that the accused would have fled or gone underground after the incident. So they searched Thane city for an autorickshaw that lay stationary for three or four days.
D.S. Swami, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, Thane police, said, “One of our teams found an autorickshaw in Luiswadi that had not been used for days. We identified its owner and he gave us the contact details of the driver, Lokhande. We visited his house and found that he had been missing since the day of the incident. His wife registered a missing person complaint with Wagle Estate police on June 8.”
On Tuesday night, the police received a tip-off that Lokhande had been admitted to Thane Civil Hospital. Mr. Swami said, “Our team reached the hospital as Lokhande was being discharged and intercepted him. He led us to Ghogre and we arrested both of them.”
The woman, who has identified Lokhande, is expected to resume work next week. Her father said, “She is now out of station and is staying with some of her cousins. The police treated her with utmost care and respect. I was never treated rudely as I was following up on the progress of the investigation.” The father was so impressed by the Thane police’s speed in arresting the accused that he held a session at his workplace on Wednesday and instructed his colleagues to follow the police’s example of dedication and hard work.
