In the path of providing safety and security to women of Hyderabad City, SHE Teams has crossed a milestone by reaching more than 76% of people in the city, as per the survey conducted by an NGO, said Swati Lakra, IPS, Addl. Commissioner, Crimes and SIT, Hyderabad City.
Launched with the sole aim to curb eve teasing and street harassment in the Hyderabad City, the teams could induce a sense of fear among the eve teasers and a feeling of security to the women in a short span of time. SHE Teams became the safety mantra of the women folk who are approaching the teams without fear for solving their problems.
Many cases of teasing, stalking and harassment were caught by the teams with evidence. Women were rescued by the teams from the clutches of the criminals and the culprits were put behind the bars. Latest and advanced technology is used in tracking, tracing, identifying and nabbing the accused. Techniques used by the culprits to escape by all means are cracked by using the latest trends in technology adopted by the SHE Teams, Hyderabad City Police. 548 persons were caught red handed along with the evidence by the SHE Teams during their visits to various hot spots. 1800 complaints have been received by the SHE Teams through various means including Dial-100, Face Book, Whatsapp, E-Mail and direct walk ins. All the cases are being enquired into and action taken at the earliest.
Swati Lakra said a case under PD Act was booked for harassing through whats app. A person by name Ade Ranjith, 30 years, Occ: Labour, N/o Adilabad, Hyderabad has been sending abusive and inappropriate videos, photos to ladies. When they requested not to harass, he was asking them to come to him, the amount they need etc and when the husbands or brothers of the victim ladies try to scold him not to harass the ladies he used to scold them in a very abusive language and threaten them with dire consequences. Unable to bear his harassment during day and night, one woman gave a complaint to She teams. When the she teams analyzed his calls, there are many women victims, who are ready to give a complaint to get the person punished as they are vexed with his attitude. Basing on complaints given by 3 women in different police stations, 3 cases are registered on him one in S R Nagar and 2 in Miyapur PS, U/s 354(A)(3), 507 IPC (PD Act). He was arrested, and sent to judicial remand. Basing on his criminal attitude and the seriousness of the case, a PD Act proceedings is served on him to refrain him from further commission of offences.
Women confined to house arrest by the friend rescued by She team based on her brothers complaint: A lady working in a software company made friendship with her colleague. The boy wanted to marry her. When she told about the proposal to her parents, they denied as both of them belong to different religions. The victim told him about this and later she left to Dubai on her job. But he started calling her and blackmailing her to come on skype, talk to him and send inappropriate videos and photos to him. He collected all the videos and photos and started blackmailing her that he will show them to her parents if she doesn’t marry him. Moreover he booked a flight ticket for her and made her come to Hyderabad, picked her from Airport, took her to his room and forcibly confined her in his apartment. He was threatening her by showing knife, a rope and a container having petrol by stating that he will kill her by any one of the three means or kill himself unless she agrees for marriage. He has torn her passport, taken away her mobile phone, laptop and molested her. When the person left on some work outside, with great difficulty the victim posted on her brothers face book that he should immediately come to Hyderabad. Shocked over this, the brother came from Karnataka and approached She teams. The woman was rescued by the teams, the person was caught, and handed over to the Humayunagar PS. A case u/s 343, 323, 376, 354D IPC is registered, the person was arrested and sent to J/R.
In another case, an Advocate was arrested for harassing a lady through messages on mobile phone. The lady came for organising an event at Gachibowli from Delhi. One person by name Abhishek, 38 yrs, Occ: Advocate along with his two friends met the complainant on January 23, 2016 at Gachi Bowli, stadium Hyderabad and introduced themselves as media personnel and made conversation with her, took her business card. Since then she received messages from him frequently at odd times. He was calling and messaging constantly like sweet heart etc and harassed her. The harassment continued even after the lady went back to Delhi. Unable to bear his messages, the lady gave a complaint through email and later approached She teams. A case u/s 67(A) I.T.A Act & 354(D) IPC is registered in Cyber Crimes PS, his mobile phone containing messages was seized, he was arrested and produced before the Magistrate.
POCSO Act case for harassing a minor girl:- B. Vishvanatham, 63 yrs, a retired government employee was regularly dropping and picking up his granddaughter from School. He used to go to the class room and pick her up. In this process, he started touching the friend of his granddaughter inappropriately. Unable to understand his behaviour, the 10 year old girl complained to her mother and cried. When the mother approached the school authorities and checked the CCTV footages available in the class room, he was seen going near to her, restricting her movement and touching her inappropriately. She teams took up the case and on the complaint of the mother of the victim, a case u/s354-A IPC and Sec.8 of POSCO Act 2012 is registered, the accused arrested and sent to judicial remand.
Cases registered for harassment through face book and social media:- A person called Md. Wasim Ahmed, made friendship with a lady. He took her photos and started harassment and blackmailing by keeping her photos on face book page. A case U/s 354-D(1)(2)(3), 506, 509 IPC is registered against him based on the complaint given by the victim. He was arrested and sent to judicial remand. In another case, accused Shaik Nizamuddin Hyder 32 yrs, made friendship with complainant, taken her photos, cheated and blackmailed/ threatened her with dire consequences. Basing on the victims complaint a case u/s 67(A) I.T.A Act and 420 IPC is registered, the accused arrested and sent to J/R.
Cases registered through phone calls : Respondents Md. Masiuddin, 21 yrs, Chintala Ramesh, 21 yrs, Sk. Zaheer S/o Sk. Munawar, 19 yrs, Abdul Sleem, 29 yrs, made phone calls, sent indecent and abusive messages and harassed the victim ladies in different cases. Petty cases were registered on each of the respondent as the victims were unwilling to go for an FIR. They were arrested and produced before the Magistrate.
Teasing in public places: Respondent B. Alok Kumar 24 yrs, Respondent A. Santosh 26 yrs, K. Bhavani Raj, 24yrs, M. Guru Sai Pavan Kumar were caught, petty cases registered on them, arrested and produced before the Magistrate in separate cases for following and teasing the ladies at different places in the city.
To know about the feedback and performance of the She teams, a survey was conducted by an NGO, which reveals that more than 70% of people are aware of SHE Teams the work done by them. Majority of them have stated that there is positive change as far as safety of women is concerned. The results are encouraging and victims are feeling free to approach the teams with their complaints in many ways like whats app, face book, email, dial 100, twitter and through direct complaints.
The teams are encouraged and empowered with the results achieved till now, the feedback received and are motivated to go much stronger with the latest technology and facilities available in the path of achieving a safe and secure Hyderabad city. (NSS)