This happened with me Winnie Saldanha today evening!

19 September 2017

After abandoning my non starting Activa at Chakala bus stop (in the lane coming from Holy Family Church towards Chakala Cigarette factory) took the bus (359 limited at 7:57pm - Chakala to Sahara) home.

Alighted at the Ram Mandir signal on S.V Road at around 9:15 pm or so and started walking towards BEST Nagar, As I was passing the Pearl Society gate noticed an Innova slow down and very very slowly move to the left of the road, I moved to the centre of the road and continued walking close to the divider, as the road turned right I turned too and just then two hands held my shoulders from behind and a face appeared on my right shoulder side asking me to walk on the flooded side of the road, he said he was a policeman, when I said I could break my leg walking in the part of the flooded road where I couldn't see it, he said he was requesting me for my own good and offered to drop me in his vehicle (the Innova which had slowed down earlier and had a person in the drivers seat) I declined saying i stayed just round the corner. The road was flooded, the rain was continuing, the lighting was bad and people and vehicles on the road were sparse. I started asking him from which police station he was, he said MIDC, he introduced himself as Nitin and shook hands with me, I also gave my name to him. All this while I could smell alcohol on his breath. I continued to walk actually wade thru ankle deep water with him by my side with as good as absolutely no personal space in between,

I asked about the 8 hr duty which was supposed to happen for the Mumbai Police, I asked about his years of service and where did he do his training, he replied by saying they were hopeful for the 8 hrs duty thing happening, about his service he said 28 years which i said wasn't possible as that could possibly be his age. We turned left onto the road which comes to my house at BEST Colony, he said he was a bit confused he had 12 yrs of service and his training was in Bombay, I asked Naigaon? he said yes and seem to have realised we were walking into fairly brightly lit area and suddenly out of the blue in butler English asked me if he could Kiss me???? I hurled an abuse and said 'tabiyat ka maar khayega, ye mera area hai, tu rahega MIDC ka'. He was taken aback. stopped and then I walked away clutching my bag ready to swing it if need be, and I think he walked back too, in the mean time all rattled I reached Sunils Krishna laundry (Gyaneshwar Nagar) narrated the incident to him and his wife and asked him if he had Goregaon Police station number, he said he did not, thankfully i found the number in my cell phone I called 02228721900 at 9:25pm and spoke for 1 min 42 secs trying to explain the situation and wanting them to send a beat marshal or somebody to the location so that no other innocent one is caught by the beast (What if I had accepted the lift he had offered) the person at the other end either could not hear me properly due to the heavy rain or was in an off duty mode (we will give benefit of doubt and think it is the former) said if I had a complaint I should come to the Police station. I flew into a rage and he kept the phone down.

I tried calling my contacts - Nitin Gupta - Akhil Bharatiya Sena - Mumbai North West Zilla Adhyaksh who had said Goregaon Police Stn senior is known to him, Jeevandas Moolya - Founder Member We for You Association and on his direction Sifu Rajikumar G. N.- Founder Member Shaolin Association of Black Panther Commandos to know if they had any contact with the Goregaon Police Station and if they could send some help so nothing untoward would happen. but incase of the first one the call didn't go through, the 2nd one asked for the gaadi number which I had not taken as I hadn't expected something like this to happen and the 3rd person had left his phone at home. Now I could only hope and pray that no other woman falls prey to this guy (dark, medium built and height, name given Nitin, said belonging to MIDC police station)

Girls, Ladies, Women and even young boys beware! don't go frolicking out in the rain especially in the night, even if you are returning home from work or anywhere, see that you have a pick up don't start walking alone in the night thinking thodasa he toh hain. BE SAFE!

Winnie Apoline Saldanha