37-year-old in ‘khaki’ preying on women arrested in Manali

The accused, who owns four tanker lorries, is suspected to have dozens of women in a similar manner over the years. Sources said he was already arrested in a woman harassment case in 2018.

In the latest incident, he found the woman and her lover in Manali. Pretending to be a policeman, he ‘questioned’ them and found that they were not married. He then took the woman to a secluded on his bike and sexually assaulted her, and took away Rs 15,000 and mobile phone. The woman lodged a robbery complaint at the station. But the officials soon found out that she was sexually assaulted by the man when she came to Manali to spend time with her boyfriend. Officials swung into action and nabbed the accused, identified as Pichumani of Tondiarpet.

Explaining Pichumani’s modus operandi after interrogation, an official said that he would get a haircut like police personnel and roam around on a two-wheeler looking for couples spending time away from the crowd and approach them pretending to be a policeman. If it is confirmed that they are either unmarried or into extra-marital affair, he would threaten the woman into offering him sexual favours if she did not want to be booked in a case. A senior officer said that steps were being taken to detain him under the Goondas Act.