The Madhya Pradesh Police arrested three men, including two bus drivers, for allegedly sexually harassing a woman, who is a national-level shooter, in Indore.
According to police, the incident occurred on the night of November 16 aboard a private bus. The accused, drivers Arvind Verma (35) and Paramendra Gautam (52), along with the driver’s assistant Deepak Malviya (27), were reportedly intoxicated when they repeatedly approached the woman’s seat and allegedly touched her inappropriately despite her protests.
Additional DCP (Crime Branch) Rajesh Dandotiya said that the athlete was returning home on a private travel bus from Bhopal after participating in a national shooting competition. “During the journey, the conductor, driver, and others on the bus touched the shooter inappropriately and committed various acts of harassment,” the officer said.
The woman alerted the police to the matter when the bus was stopped during a routine night patrol.
“At around 1.30 am…, police were conducting vehicle checks. The shooter immediately alerted police, voicing her accusation. Panicked, the driver and conductor abandoned the vehicle and ran, leaving passengers stranded in the middle of the night,” the officer said.
Police were then forced to arrange a replacement crew so that passengers could get to heir destinations.
“After the disturbance, we assisted passengers and deployed an alternative driver and conductor,” said Dandotiya.
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The incident comes less than a month after two Australian women cricketers, who were in Indore for ICC Women’s ODI World Cup matches, were allegedly stalked and sexually harassed in broad daylight by a local history sheeter, identified as Aqeel. He was arrested the next day.