Eve-teasing, harassment and instances of stalking are not uncommon in India. Apart from physical stalking, more and more cases of digital stalking via text messages and phone calls have come to light in recent times. So much so that there’s a dedicated helpline number for women to report such crimes – 1091. But what happens when women decide to deal with criminals themselves?
Pulleri Divya is a 24-year-old software engineer working in Wipro. Her friend Pravalika once used her cellphone to call a carpenter she had hired. The carpenter, 23-year-old V. Sai Kumar, started harassing her thereafter by sending messages and calling on her number.
To teach the carpenter a lesson, she roped in two car drivers, a security guard and a diesel mechanic. She asked the carpenter to come to a specified place in Secunderabad. When he reached there, he was beaten up, taken to an isolated area and thrashed with sticks.
He managed to escape and went to a hospital to treat his injuries. He filed a complaint against her and his case was taken up by the Gopalapuram police station. According to NDTV, the woman and her accomplices have been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and attempt to murder.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, K. Srinivasa Rao, discouraged women from taking revenge against stalkers by saying:
“Don’t take law in your hands as this will make you an accused.”
Filing a complaint against the harasser with the closest police station is the best course of action, he said.