VELLORE: The district’s Fast Track Mahila Court sentenced a 25-year-old man, R K Hemaraj of KV Kuppam, to 15 years imprisonment along with a penalty of Rs 1,10,000 for pushing a woman out of a moving train in Katpadi in 2022.
The verdict was given by Judge Gokulakrishnan on Monday, after examining 20 witnesses and finding that the accused Hemaraj was guilty. If the fine amount is not paid, additional six months of imprisonment will be added, as per the court order.
According to the Katpadi Government Railway Police (GRP), the incident happened on November 22, 2022 between the Katpadi and Vellore Town railway stations inside the Arakkonam-Vellore Cantonment MEMU Express (06735).
According to police, the woman was travelling from Ambattur to Vellore Cantonment to visit a relative’s house to give a wedding invitation. “The accused demanded for her mobile phone but she refused to give it. Hemaraj, then threatened her at knifepoint, forcibly snatched the phone and misbehaved with her,” the GRP said.
When the train slowed near the Vellore Town Railway Station, Hemaraj suddenly pushed the woman out of the train and fled. Later, the woman was reportedly rescued and admitted to the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore.
Based on a complaint filed by the woman, a case was registered at the Katpadi GRP under sections 392 and 397 of IPC and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment Against Women (TNPHW) Act. According to police, Hemaraj was arrested within 24 hours and remanded to judicial custody and action was taken against him under the Goondas Act.