Posing 'Titanic' on bike, man brushes woman in NYE

Lecturer couple allege misbehaviour from revellers

The New Year Eve revelry wasn't short of the usual shortcomings.

The early hours of Tuesday witnessed a case of misbehaviour, as a youth's hand brushed against a woman riding pillion with her husband on a scooter in Richmond Town.

The lecturer couple then filed a complaint at the Ashok Nagar police station. Later, the police picked up a suspect, identified as Arun (26). They are questioning Arun, while two others wanted in the case are on the run.

According to the police, the incident happened at around 2 am near St Joseph's College. The couple on the two-wheeler were approaching the Double Road in Shantinagar, while heading towards Jayanagar from Residency Road.

The accused duo on the bike were passing by among many others, who were returning after the revelry on Brigade Road and M G Road, shouting and screaming 'Happy New Year' to passersby and fellow commuters.

Pillion rider Arun stood on the moving bike and struck the epic pose from the movie, Titanic. On the move, Arun's outstretched hand brushed against the hand of the lady who was riding pillion with her husband. The couple immediately took objection to the behaviour, stopped the bike and confronted the duo. Heated arguments ensued between the couple and the men on the bike. Arun and his rider companion threatened the husband that they would beat him up.

Other passersby and commuters intervened. In the melee, the husband's mobile phone was stolen from the couple's scooter. Using his wife’s mobile phone the husband clicked the photographs of the bike rider and Arun, who misbehaved with them. The couple then headed to Ashok Nagar police station and filed a complaint against the two men and an unidentified man who made away with the mobile phone.

Ashok Nagar police have registered an FIR against the accused under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (A) (harassment outraging the modesty of a woman), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 379 (theft). The police have detained Arun, who is employed with a construction company as a concrete mixer. They are analysing photographs and CCTV footage from the area to identify the other culprit who made away with the phone. Further investigations are underway.