'Super pushy, followed us for 15 minutes': 2 held for stalking Portuguese vlogger in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Agripada police arrested two men for allegedly stalking a foreign tourist and repeatedly demanding selfies near Dhobi Ghat in Mahalaxmi last month.

The tourist, Ines Faria, a digital content creator from Portugal, posted an Instagram video showing two men following her.


After the clip went viral, Agripada police took cognisance and registered a suo motu case on February 27. The accused were booked for stalking and for assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty.

A team led by senior inspector Sanjay Nale arrested the two men, identified as Mansukh Kumar Sharma (22) and Gulshan Kumar Sharma (20). They were produced before a court and remanded to police custody until March 4.

Faria, who has been travelling across India for the past two months, wrote on social media that the incident was the first such experience she had faced in the country.

She said most of her time in India had been “beautiful, kind and welcoming,” but on that day the men kept following her and her companion, asking for photos even after she refused multiple times. She said they were “super pushy,” followed them for over 15 minutes, and the situation became overwhelming. She added that she had to physically push them away to create space.

Police contacted Faria, who said the incident occurred on February 22 at around 5 pm. Investigators used technical inputs, CCTV footage and local enquiries to identify the suspects.

Police found that one accused worked at a construction site in Malabar Hill. Gulshan Kumar Sharma was detained on February 28 and arrested after his role was confirmed, police said. The investigators later learnt that Mansukh Kumar Sharma had gone to his native village in Bihar. A police team travelled there and arrested him on March 1.
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