Australian women cricketers stalked, molested in Indore; accused held

Police have arrested the accused, Akil Khan, after going through CCTV footage. (Image credit: X)

Two Australian women cricketers, taking part in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, were allegedly stalked, and one of them was molested by a motorcycle-borne man in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, police said on Saturday.

The police on Friday arrested the man involved in the incident that occurred on the Khajrana Road area on Thursday morning, an official said.

Sub-Inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi said that the two cricketers had stepped out of their hotel and were walking towards a café when a man on a motorcycle started following them.

He allegedly touched one of them inappropriately and rode off, she said. The duo contacted their team security officer, Danny Simmons, who coordinated with local security liaison officers and dispatched a vehicle for assistance.

On getting information, Assistant Commissioner of Police Himani Mishra met the two players, recorded their statements and registered a first information report under section 74 (use of criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty) and 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the MIG police station.

The official said that a bystander noted the suspect's motorcycle number, based on which the accused, Akil Khan, was apprehended.

"Khan has prior criminal cases registered against him, and an investigation is on in the case," she added.

None of the Australian players appeared at the ceremonial post-match press conference at Holkar Stadium on Saturday, despite a commanding win over South Africa. Australian coach Shelley Nitschke represented the team, addressing the media while the team chose not to respond to questions regarding the incident.

“We had received a complaint from the security manager of the Australian team stating that two female players had faced inappropriate behaviour while walking to a cafe from their hotel on Thursday morning. A case was registered on Thursday night at MIG police station and the accused Akil Khan was identified and arrested in an intensive strategic operation. He was produced before the court and sent to jail on Saturday,” additional DCP (crime branch) Rajesh Dandotiya was quoted by The times of India as saying.

“At approximately 11am, two players advised me they were leaving the hotel to go to a cafe. They were planning to walk to the cafe and I had no concerns with this as they had previously been to the cafe as have several members of the Australian team,” the team security officer mentioned in the FIR.

“I received a live location notification from one of the players on my mobile phone at 11.08am. This message signifies an emergency distress signal to me from a player to advise they may need assistance. The players were about 500m from the hotel when she sent me a message saying a man on a motorcycle had approached them and tried to grab one of them before being confronted. He again came behind another player and touched her inappropriately before he drove off,” the FIR said.

Simmons was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the player texted him, “Hey SoS, just sending you my live location... there’s a guy following us trying to grab us.”

The man was described as around 30 years old, wearing a white shirt and black cap, and riding a black motorcycle without a helmet. The team’s liaison officers were informed and directed to go to the location to assist the players. A police patrol unit later reached the spot and escorted the cricketers back to their hotel. The complaint stated that the player later messaged again, informing Simmons that local police had arrived and helped them return safely.

“I received a further message stating that a nice man in a suit in a car stopped and asked if we were alright and stated that he rang police with the guy’s bike number,” Simmons mentioned in the FIR.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) on Saturday said it is examining “whether the players had sought security cover for the movement outside the hotel.”

“The Australian team has a security officer appointed by Cricket Australia along with two security officers appointed by BCCI and the local police. It shall be examined whether the players had sought security cover or not," MPCA chief administrative officer Rohit Pandit told the newspaper.