Nagpur: In an outrageous incident, a male staffer entered the trial room at Pantaloons Store situated at VR Mall near Medical Square in Nagpur leaving a 16-year old girl ashamed. Despite her protests, the male staffer was adamant. The shocked family, which later approached Imambada Police Station, was in for another shock when the mall’s supervisory staffers did not offer them support in registering a case against the pervert staffer.
According to a report, the teen, who had gone to Pantaloons Store for an outing with her parents, wanted to try on some new clothes at one of the outlets. After picking up an item, the girl went inside the changing room for a trial. Much to her horror, a male staffer barged into the cabin, leaving the teen shocked. When she challenged the intruder, he tried to justify his presence in the trial room by citing some work. Miffed by the indifference, the girl stepped out to alert her parents.
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The girl’s father said the store’s managers and others supported the action of the male staffer. Enraged by their brazen indifference, the father vented his ire at the accused trying to defend his actions. “There were no women attendants at the outlet or near the women’s trial room. We want to raise the question how and why a male staffer entered a woman’s place of privacy when it’s clearly declared so by a display board,” the report said.
The family later approached Imambada Police Station, where an offence of sexual harassment through voyeurism was registered against the accused, Sunil Raut, apart from invoking the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
According to DCP Rashmitha Rao, the accused Raut was taken into custody, and a proposal for preventive action was also prepared against him. “We will take up the issue of safety of women and girls in the malls. We will also ensure installation of CCTV cameras in their premises and the deployment of women attendants in sections where women and girls are likely to visit,” said the DCP.
