Mumbai woman assaulted, molested in moving train; accused arrested

In a shocking incident, a woman was molested and assaulted by a man in a moving suburban train bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus late on Thursday night, police said on Friday. The accused has been arrested and has been identified as a cabbie from Byculla, the 32-year-old Rafiq Khan, and the victim was known to each other and he owed her money over which they had an alteration in the train.

The incident took place around 11 pm on Thursday. A graphic video of the incident has since been widely viewed on social media.

In the footage, Khan, 32, is seen suddenly pouncing on the woman sitting on the opposite seat in the handicapped compartment. He then drags her by the hair and attempts to strangle her.

He also tore off her clothes even as other co-commuters raised an alarm to alert a policeman in the adjoining compartment of the speeding train.

When she resisted and pushed him off her, he fell on the train floor, but got up and again lunged at the woman on the seat as she screamed for help.

Dadar Senior Inspector Nitin Bobde said that "the woman had lent money to her attacker on a friendly basis as she had known him over a few years."

Khan was taken into custody by the GRP police team from Dadar after he deboarded. The victim registered a complaint after which he was arrested early on Friday.