Malappuram police arrested a man who flashed himself in front of a woman traveling on a train in Kerala. After absconding, Vellampurum Pilakkadan Shihabuddin (34), a native of Wandoor, was finally arrested after four days.
Shihabuddin’s indecent exposure leading to the complaint took place on 17 December. The woman, who works in Ernakulam, was on her way to a relative’s house in Vaniyambalam by Shornur-Nilambur passenger train. He indulged in the outrageous act around 9.20 pm when the train passed through Thodikappulam Rly Station.
The accused was sitting opposite the woman, and when he saw they were alone in the compartment, he took it as a chance to outrage her modesty. Shihabuddin began by using sexually colored language and then displayed nudity. No one else was in the compartment at the time of the harassment.
When the woman who recorded the footage of the accused reached Vaniyambalam, she searched for the accused with the help of her relatives but could not find him. Shihabuddin escaped in the nick of time. The victim and her relatives approached Wandoor police, filed a complaint, and submitted the video as evidence.
Local police led by Wandoor Circle Inspector E Gopakumar inquired with regular train passengers and autorickshaw drivers. They circulated photos of the accused through social media. Police finally located and caught him on Thursday from nearby Naduvath based on a tip-off.
Shihabuddin was arrested by the police and handed over to the railway police for further action. The pervert works as a medical representative. Though the victim’s identity remains unknown, Islamists habitually indulge in lewd acts against Hindu women.
