A 30-year-old man was arrested after allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old woman and attempting to forcibly take her away on a busy road in Pune’s Sukh Sagar Nagar area, with local residents intervening and handing him over to police, according to Bharati Vidyapeeth police and a report by Lokmat – Pune.
The incident took place outside Samarth Dairy near the Katraj-Kondhwa Road on Saturday evening, October 24, the report said. The woman had been standing by the roadside while waiting for a friend when the accused, identified by police as Jitu Kishorilal Saroj, allegedly approached her and behaved obscenely.
According to the police information cited in the report, Saroj allegedly touched the woman inappropriately, pulled at her shirt and tried to lift her from the road. The woman raised an alarm, prompting her friend and nearby residents to rush to the spot.
Residents surrounded the accused when he allegedly attempted to flee. The report said he also snatched a mobile phone from one person in the crowd and smashed it on the ground. Local residents then restrained him and assaulted him before informing the police.
Bharati Vidyapeeth police reached the location after receiving the information and took Saroj into custody. The accused, aged 30 and originally from Uttar Pradesh, was subsequently arrested, according to the report.
A case was registered on the woman’s complaint under provisions relating to outraging a woman’s modesty and attempting to abduct her. The police are conducting further investigation into the incident.
The case highlights the immediate safety risks faced by pedestrians and people waiting along busy urban roads, where crowded surroundings can offer both visibility and vulnerability. In this incident, the woman’s alarm and the prompt response of nearby citizens brought the alleged assault to the attention of authorities before the accused could leave the area.
The police investigation will establish the sequence of events and determine the evidence relevant to the charges. The next steps in the case will depend on the investigation and related legal proceedings.
