New Delhi, May 4 (IANS): They stepped into the ladies' coach in Delhi Metro and paid for it. More than Rs.500,000 have been collected in fines from over 2,500 men since the special facility for women was introduced last year, an official said.

Metro reserved the first coach of every train for women from Oct 2 and since then there have been regular incidents of men forcing their way into the special coaches due to overcrowding in other compartments.

"We have fined 2,506 men for entering the ladies' coach of the train, which is the first coach, between Oct 2 last year and March 31. A fine of over Rs.500,000 has been generated from them," an official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) told IANS.

Delhi Metro initially imposed a fine of Rs.200 each on men found travelling in women-only coaches and this was increased by Rs.50 following the Nov 25 incident when several male passengers travelling in the women's coach were thrashed by police personnel.

"We have a special squad which mans the Metro and while offenders are fined at various times, it's mostly so in the late evening, between 8-11 p.m.," the official said.

"But women are good defenders. They protest and generally don't let men enter the ladies' coach," he said.