The Crime Branch has arrested a 21-year-old Kolkata resident on charges of stalking a 24-year-old woman, who hails from the Bengal capital, but works in Mumbai. Suspect Azharuddin Azim Ahmed Sarkar has told the cops that he had sent vulgar messages to many girls in the past.
The police said the complainant, a financial consultant, had on November 8 received a romantic text message on her mobile phone from an unknown number. When she sought to know the identity of the sender via an SMS, the other side replied that he was an ex-paramour of hers.
"Since the complainant never had any affair in the past, she called on the said number and the unknown person resorted to obscene talks. While the woman promptly disconnected the call, she continued to receive unsolicited text messages," said a Crime Branch officer.
Unable to put up with the mental torture, the woman approached Crime Branch Unit III and a case was registered by the Tardeo police.
Investigations revealed that the messages were being sent from a number in Kolkata. The cops alerted a Crime Branch team that was already in the West Bengal capital to pursue another case. With the help of local police, the team tracked down Sarkar on November 22.
The police have booked Sarkar under Section 354 (D) – for stalking which interferes with the mental peace of a person or causes distress, fear of violence or alarm – of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 66A (sending offensive, annoying or threatening email, SMS or MMS) of the Information Technology Act. They have also seized two mobile handsets from Sarkar.
The officer added, "Sarkar has told us that he had sent similar text messages to many other girls. We are ascertaining how he had got the financial consultant's mobile number and his intentions of sending her vulgar messages."
