Two Australian women cricketers stalked, molested in Indore; accused held
Indore (PTI): Two Australian women cricketers, taking part in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, were allegedly stalked, and one of them was molested by a motorcycle-borne man in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in Khajrana Road area on Thursday morning and the accused was nabbed on Friday evening, an official said.
Sub-Inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi said the two cricketers had stepped out of their hotel and were walking towards a café when a man on a motorcycle started following them.
He allegedly touched one of them inappropriately and rode off, she said.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the two women contacted their team security officer, Danny Simmons, and shared their live location with him. Simmons passed it on to the local security liaison officer.
Based on this, the police team was able to reach the spot immediately, the FIR stated.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Himani Mishra met the two players, recorded their statements and registered the FIR under section 74 (use of criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty) and 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the MIG police station.
Raghuvanshi said a bystander had noted the suspect's motorcycle number, based on which the accused, Akil Khan, was apprehended.
"Khan has prior criminal cases registered against him, and an investigation is on in the case," she added.
The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), in a statement, said it was deeply pained and shocked by the disturbing incident of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour with the two players.
"No woman should ever have to endure such trauma, and our thoughts and support are with those impacted by this distressing incident. This unfortunate event has deeply affected everyone from MPCA, who cherishes the values of respect, safety, and dignity of women," the association said.
It is truly inspiring to see the players rise above this painful experience and continue to compete with courage and determination, carrying the pride of their nation on their shoulders in the match against South Africa, it stated.
"Over the years, Indore has earned a proud reputation as a safe venue for the visiting teams and dignitaries from other fields. It is deeply painful that the disorderly action of one individual has caused such harm and cast a shadow over the city’s image. As the host, MPCA extends sincere apologies to the Australian women’s team for this deeply distressing and unfortunate incident while in our city, known for safety, grace, and hospitality," the cricketing body said.
It added that the local police and administration have consistently demonstrated diligence in ensuring player security during all official movements, and teams were provided adequate security for their visits to venues such as the Mahakaal temple and recreation sites of their choice.
In this unfortunate incident, it is essential to examine whether the players had sought security cover for the movement outside the hotel, or whether the movement occurred in the absence of any request for security, it said.
Cricket Australia also confirmed that two members of the women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a café in Indore. The team security reported the matter to the police, who are handling it, it said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said in a statement that police acted swiftly and arrested the accused within a few hours.
"This action by the state government and police sends a clear message: women's safety and law enforcement are paramount, and criminals will not be spared," he said.
Indore police, in a statement, said that the security officer of the Australian team filed a complaint, which stated that two women cricketers were molested.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Dandotiya said after the complaint was filed, CCTV footage was scanned to identify the accused. A massive manhunt was launched and he was arrested within six hours.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
