A horrifying incident unfolded in Dehradun, Uttarakhand where a young woman had a narrow escape when a 35-year-old stalker named Riyas, a resident of Kerala, molested her and tried to throw acid on her. This distressing event occurred in the Bhaniyawala area, falling under the jurisdiction of the Doiwala police station.
After this horrific crime, Riyas attempted to flee the scene, leaving the victim and her family in a state of distress. However, after the victim’s complaint, the Doiwala police managed to quickly arrest Riyas. It has been revealed that the accused traveled from Delhi with unlawful and criminal motives, armed with acid, to carry out his act. He first grabbed the girl’s hand and misbehaved with her, before throwing the acid which she managed to avoid.
In response to the directive from Senior Police Superintendent Ajay Singh of Dehradun, the Doiwala police took swift action to arrest the accused. A dedicated police team utilized local intelligence networks, scrutinized CCTV footage, and successfully apprehended Riyas, a 35-year-old resident of Jauligrant, Kerala.
During interrogation, Riyas revealed that he had a background in car sales and driving in Bengaluru. He had initially met the young woman through a mutual friend in Bengaluru, where she was pursuing her studies. Despite her return to Dehradun and current employment at Himalayan Hospital, the accused, who arrived in Dehradun from Delhi, attempted to carry out a acid attack on the girl.
Riyas had been harassing the girl while she had broken off all contact with him. Frustrated (and probably incensed that a ‘kafir’ woman had rejected him), the accused launched an acid attack on her. Due to the young woman’s alertness, Riyas could not succeed in his plans to disfigure her for life.
A case has now been registered against the accused under Section 354/326B/506 of the Indian Penal Code, but it remains to be seen if he is given truly deterrent punishment or is soon released on bail as our courts are prone to do. This case is yet another reminder of how all girls, and especially Hindu ones, need to be on alert at all times and avoid contact with Islamists and predators, both online and offline.
