Man molests burqa-clad woman, arrested after encounter

Bareilly: A 40-year-old man was arrested on Thursday night following a brief police encounter hours after CCTV footage showed him groping a burqa-clad woman in Moradabad’s Mugalpura locality. He was shot in the left leg and was hospitalised.Police registered an FIR under BNS sections for molestation and outraging a woman’s modesty. The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon when the victim, returning home from the market, was accosted in a deserted lane by the accused, Maulana Naushad of Katghar’s Maqbara area. She raised an alarm, forcing him to flee as locals chased unsuccessfully.CCTV clips of the assault, lasting nine and 17 seconds, circulated widely on social media Thursday. Based on the footage and the woman’s complaint, police identified Naushad and tracked him down.SP Kumar Ranvijay Singh said, “When confronted, the accused fired at police. A police team retaliated, injuring him in the leg. He confessed to the crime and is currently hospitalised.”