Man Arrested in Pune for Writing Delhi Woman’s Number in Public Toilets, Defaming Her
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A 49-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, Yasin Shaikh, was taken into custody in Pune for allegedly defaming a woman from Delhi by writing her phone number on the walls of the Pune Railway Station toilets and sharing it online with insulting comments. The accused reportedly held a grudge against the woman’s husband, which sparked the ongoing harassment.
Authorities revealed that Shaikh had been targeting the woman and her spouse for the past two to three years. Despite being semi-literate and having no prior criminal record, he persistently harassed the couple through various means, including repeated phone calls and online posts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia explained that Shaikh believed he had a romantic connection with a woman who worked for the complainant’s husband. “He was uncomfortable with their professional relationship and repeatedly urged the woman to cut ties with her employer,” Banthia said. However, the woman denied any romantic involvement with Shaikh, stating she only considered him a friend.
When she realized that Shaikh’s behavior was becoming increasingly obsessive and inappropriate, she removed him from her social media contacts. Despite this, Shaikh escalated his actions by retrieving the complainant’s phone number from her social media profiles and posting it online along with offensive captions.
Banthia mentioned, “He began sharing her number alongside vulgar labels like ‘Call girl service’ and circulated videos containing her contact details.” Shaikh also harassed both the woman and her husband repeatedly over the phone.
The victim eventually lodged a complaint with the North Cyber Police Station, reporting that Shaikh was creating new social media profiles almost daily to continue posting her number with defamatory remarks. She said the barrage of unwanted calls from unknown numbers had taken a severe toll on her mental health. Authorities registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During their investigation, police examined technical evidence, including call detail records and IP addresses, leading them to trace Shaikh’s location to Pune. A police team was dispatched to Maharashtra, where Shaikh was arrested at his residence in the Sanjay Park area. Officers also confiscated one mobile phone and two SIM cards allegedly used in committing the offenses.
