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Demonstrating the effectiveness of Andhra Pradesh police department's women's safety mobile app Disha, Vijayawada police apprehended a stalker within six minutes of the victim pressing the SOS button. "In six minutes we apprehended the offender," Vijayawada police commissioner B. Sreenivasulu told IANS on Saturday.
Further elaborating the incident, Mary Prasanthi, deputy commissioner of police (Administration) said the crime occurred near the railway club in Satyanarayana Puram part of the city. "Both are students, classmates I think and he (Akash) was harassing the victim. She complained to her father about him and he (father) complained to the college principal," said Prasanthi.
Despite being warned many times, the DCP said, Akash (19) did not change his behaviour and on Friday stalked the girl in the presence of her father while returning home after an examination. Vexed by Akash's continued harassment, the girl pressed the SOS button on the app, triggering an alert to the police station from the Disha call centre.
"We immediately responded and within six minutes police reached the spot and Akash was taken to the police station and a case was registered against him," said the DCP. According to the AP police department, the girl triggered the alarm at 12.31 p.m. and the police took the accused ever-teaser under custody by 12.37 p.m. Police registered a case under IPC Sections 354 (D) [stalking] and 506 [criminal intimidation].
The police commissioner said the app is working very well to apprehend unruly people violating women's rights and noted that the city police response time is 5-6 minutes to attend to an emergency. He noted that the response time could be 15-20 minutes in the city outskirts and rural areas. DGP Gautam Sawang commended Vijayawada city police for the trust instilled in the public by responding within six minutes of the Disha app SOS trigger.