KOLKATA: A 27-year-old woman, a state government employee, returning home from office on Wednesday evening was molested on a

between

and Singhabari bus stoppages on EM Bypass. The woman's cries for help on the bus prompted other passengers to apprehend the accused - a 49-year-old Survey Park resident. They beat him up and handed him over to the Survey Park police.

It was around 7.10pm on Wednesday. The woman took an aisle seat on the bus. Soon, she felt someone touching her and realized that someone had dropped semen on her clothes. She looked up and was terrified to see the man standing next to her ejaculate. Shocked and scared, she raised an alarm. The other passengers rushed to her rescue and thrashed the accused. As the victim dialled 100 for help, Lalbazar guided her to the nearest traffic sergeant on duty.

The bus was stopped on Bypass and the accused, Biswajit Sarkar, was handed over to the police. The cops registered a case and arrested Sarkar. Police said Sarkar was married and had a child. He was under acute depression and was under treatment. "We learnt that the accused used to have a shop, which had to be closed. This left his family in financial distress. He spoke incoherently when asked about the obscene act," an investigator said. Sarkar was produced in a court on Thursday and was granted bail.

Police said the victim, a married woman, was scared and in shock.