Smooch at New Year party lands man in jail

CHENNAI: The long arm of law finally caught up with a 42-year-old businessman, who allegedly kissed an engineering graduate during New Year’s Eve revelry at a leading social club in the city on January 31. Arrested and booked under the Tamil Nadu Women’s Harassment Prevention Act, the smoocher is now cooling his heels at the Central prison in Puzhal.Parents of 24-year-old P Sharmila (name changed) approached the police after all attempts to make the offender apologise for his misbehaviour failed, a senior police officer told Express, explaining the delay in effecting the arrest. “The victim’s family was initially reluctant to lodge a complaint and came to us only after the accused refused to budge from his position,” he said.The accused, Kaushal Kumar alias Kumar, a scrap metal businessman and resident of Red Hills, had come to the prominent social and cultural club, located next to a cinema theatre on Anna Salai, along with a member to participate in the New Year’s Eve party, the officer said. “Kumar is married and has a daughter,” he added.Sharmila too had arrived at the same party with her mother and father Prem Anand (50), an auto spare parts company owner and resident of Perumal Street in Royapettah. The party was in full swing, when an inebriated Kumar caught hold of the young woman and kissed her in full view of the others, the police officer said.While Kumar received a sound thrashing at the hands of the club’s security guard, he refused to apologise to the young woman. “We came to know of the incident on January 2. But we were unable to initiate any action since a formal complaint was not lodged, as the club members and friends tried to persuade him to express apology,” the officer said.Finally, when all efforts failed, Prem Anand lodged a complaint at the Triplicane police station on Wednesday. Kaushal Kumar was arrested and booked under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Women’s Harassment Prevention Act and produced before the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, which remanded him in judicial custody.