Times of India

CHENNAI, Jun 12: The city police have laid honey traps for roadside Romeos. And, with 50 of them in the net in two days, it wasn't a bad catch.

Faced with an increasing number of eve teasing incidents in the city, four teams of women sub inspectors and constables dressed as college girls spread out across the city. In two days, 50 of the miscreants have been arrested from the vicinity of colleges, schools and buses. Some of them, teenagers, were let off with stern warnings.

"Our team members dressed up like college girls and travelled in buses and waited near bus stops by colleges and schools. They picked up several youths who tried to misbehave either with them or with other women," joint commissioner of police (north) N Ravi told The Times of India.

This is not the first time the city police is trying women constables as decoys. The difference this time, however, is that the women in mufti were carefully handpicked among the younger lot in the force. Some previous traps, the police have realised, didn't work because the age and looks of the constables and inspectors "were not apt for the operation," as a policeman put it.

"We wanted the special team members to look like college girls. So we selected them accordingly and the youngsters who are in the habit of passing lewd comments were at their usual self," another official said.

Each of the four special teams now on the prowl is headed by a woman sub inspector and has four women police constables. "They begin the duty in the morning and concentrate in areas near colleges and schools. They also travel in buses during rush hours. We have found the incidence of eve teasing quite prevalent among youngsters. What surprised us was most number of eve teasers are teenagers. We have sent many to juvenile homes after recording arrest. Many have been sent back home after strong warnings," the official said.

These police women are given walkie talkies, hidden in their handbags, to avail assistance when they come across the miscreants. "When they find anyone harassing women, they call the patrol parties for assistance over the walkie talkie," the official added.

"Our team will monitor areas most frequented by eve teasers and take suo motu action against the culprits. The police action is part of visible policing and it will send a strong message to eve teasers," city police commissioner R Sekar told TOI. "Many victims suffer in silence and only few of them come forward to register a complaint," another official said.