Youth riding auto tries to rape designer

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20

A 26-year-old youth, who was driving an auto-rickshaw, tried to rape a 28-year-old fashion designer, a native of Dehradun, in Sector 42 while she was returning from a party. The victim sat in the auto after the accused, who was on a joyride on his neighbour’s auto, offered to drop the victim to her destination.

Read: He was dragging victim by her hair, we rushed for help, says bus driver

A CTU bus driver, who was driving on the road separating Sector 42 and 43, saw the accused forcing the girl after which he, along with the bus conductor, rescued the girl and informed the police.

Sources said the victim attended a party at a club in Sector 35 after which she started walking towards Sector 42. The accused, Mukesh, a resident of Attawa, saw her and asked if she wanted to be dropped somewhere.

The police said the victim told the accused to drop her at a friend’s house in Sector 42. However, the accused took her on a different route and started driving towards Attawa Chowk.

The victim objected to this and raised the alarm after which the accused stopped the auto on the slip road.

The victim got down from the auto, but before she could escape, the accused caught her and tried to pull her behind the trees on the roadside.

A CTU bus, that plies between the ISBT, Sector 17, and the ISBT, Sector 43, at night was crossing from the spot when the bus driver, Mohit Thakur, saw the accused pull the girl. Mohit immediately stopped the bus and alerted the bus conductor, Ravinder Singh. The duo rushed to the rescue of the girl and caught the auto driver.

The police were informed, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. The youth was in an inebriated condition at the time of the incident. In her statement to the police, the victim revealed that she had come to Chandigarh to attend an event related to fashion designing.

The police said the accused worked as a caterer and took his neighbour’s auto for a ride without informing him.

A case under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 376 (punishment for rape) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC has been registered at the Sector 36 police station. The accused was produced before a duty magistrate and sent to judicial custody.