The woman had placed the order around 9pm on September 17. (Representational image)
A food delivery agent in Pune forcibly kissed a 19-year-old woman after finding her alone at home, police said today. The agent, 39-year-old Raees Sheikh, was arrested on September 17, the night of the incident, and has since got bail.
"The young woman, a student who lives on rent, placed an order on Zomato. But Zomato apparently interchanged the delivery with Dunzo app. The man who went with the order, around 9.30pm, asked for water and got inside the house. When she returned, he grabbed her by the arm and kissed her twice," said Jagannath Jankar, the area police in-charge. He left as she resisted and later sent her messages saying he was "like her uncle".
"The woman came to us with a friend, and we managed to arrest the accused the same night. The court next day granted him bail. He had no previous criminal record," he added. The accused is charged with sexual harassment under sections 354 and 354A of the Indian Penal Code.
But Zomato has said the delivery agent did not work for them, and that the company would corporate in the probe as needed. Dunzo has not issued a statement yet. A probe is on to determine how the order chain from one app to another came about.
The woman was not in a state to speak to the media. Her landlord told NDTV, "She is very scared nd tensed. After the incident, we counselled her and helped her go to the police, so that no ne can dare do such a thing again."
"These apps need to carry out proper character verification and background check before working with anyone," said the police officer. He added that there are young men and women living alone in several areas of Pune, which has many educational institutions. "They should be careful while trusting anyone, especially when they are alone and at night. They should have their friends' or police's phone numbers saved in their mobiles for emergency situations."