'He Just Hung Around Coolly in His Car', Says Stalking Survivor in Mumbai

Mumbai: A 34-year-old fashion designer has alleged she was stalked by a man on her way home with her kids in a car in suburban Jogeshwari area, police said on Tuesday.

The incident comes to light three days after Vikas Barala, the son of Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala, and his friend were arrested for allegedly stalking the daughter of a Haryana IAS officer in Chandigarh.

"The Jogeshwari incident occurred in the early hours of Monday when the woman was on her way to her home in Lokhandwala area," a police officer told PTI.

A Hyderabad-based IT professional Nitesh Sharma (36) has been arrested in connection with the case, police said. Sharma was in Mumbai to visit his relatives, he said.

Sharma allegedly chased the fashion designer's BMW car in his Honda Civic till her home and rang the doorbell of her home at around 2 am yesterday, he said.

The officer said the woman had clicked photos of the accused and his car and approached the Amboli Police Station with a complaint last evening.

"Police have registered an offence 354 (d) of IPC (stalking) against Sharma," said Bhaskar Gaikwad, senior police inspector of Amboli Police Station.

Police intercepted Sharma's car based on the number plate captured in the photo taken by the woman, he said.

Meanwhile, the woman, in a Facebook post, described the incident as "shocking and nerve-racking".

"In the last 10 years, I've always felt safe in Bombay, and in the same breath have always cursed Delhi! But last night showed me a different side to my 'not so safe anymore' city," she said.

"He (the alleged stalker) didn't have any fear in his eyes, a fear of being captured by security cameras, interrogation by security guards or threats of police! He just hung around coolly in his car long after the incident, very comfortable in getting his pictures clicked," she said.