Hyderabad: A 23-year-old woman working for a food delivery agency jumped off a moving Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) train on Saturday night after a man allegedly tried to sexually assault her. The woman was travelling from Secunderabad to Medchal. The attempted assault took place soon after the train left Alwal station, a police officer said.
Passersby who saw the woman jump rushed her to Gandhi hospital with head injuries. Doctors treating her said she was unconscious for most of Sunday. She came to her senses late on Sunday afternoon after which railway police officers were informed and her statement was recorded.
Gandhi hospital authorities added that the woman was shifted to Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad, on Monday evening.
Police officers said that based on the clues given by the survivor, they identified a suspect living in Medchal. However, when officers arrived at his house, it was locked. Sources added that the suspect had been involved in a series of property crimes in the past. His neighbours said that his family too had left him because of his criminal ways.
Chandana Deepthi, SP Railways, Secunderabad, said multiple teams were working in coordination to nab the suspect. She visited the survivor in hospital and collected details about the assault.
“She is recovering well,” the SP told reporters on Monday.
According to police, the woman, a native of Andhra Pradesh, lives in Medchal. She was returning home from Secunderabad on the Tellapur-Medchal MMTS train on Saturday night and was sitting in the ladies’ coach.
After the train crossed Alwal, two other women passengers in the coach disembarked, and the suspect boarded the train. The man, in his mid-20s, approached the woman, sitting alone in the coach, and tried to sexually assault her.
Fearing for her safety, the woman rushed towards the exit and jumped out of the moving train. Passersby who saw her jump came to her help. They also alerted railway police.
No CCTV footage
There are no CCTV cameras at Alwal station from where the suspect boarded the train. There were no RPF personnel on board either, including all women shakti teams that are usually deployed on trains and in railway stations for the safety of women passengers.
“There are personnel deployed at Alwal and Bolarum railway stations and also at black spots en route, but there was no deployment on this train. However, as a precautionary measure, we have intensified patrolling at all MMTS trains,” added an official.
