T’puram: Parassala railway police on Tuesday arrested a 36-year-old habitual offender, who allegedly sexually harassed a woman passenger aboard a train and escaped by jumping off it at a railway station.The accused Edwin Jose of Mankad on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, has around 33 criminal cases registered against him in the two states.The incident occurred aboard the Sabarimala Express a few days ago when the train was travelling between Kayamkulam and Varkala. According to the police, the accused allegedly sexually harassed the woman during the journey, prompting her to raise an alarm.Following the woman’s cries for help, fellow passengers intervened and managed to restrain the accused. However, when the train reached Pettah railway station in Thiruvananthapuram, he allegedly managed to evade the passengers and jumped off the train to escape.Photographs of the accused taken by some passengers during the incident proved crucial in the investigation. The images helped the police identify the suspect and launch a search to trace him.A special squad of the railway police subsequently conducted an intensive investigation and tracked the accused at his residence in Mankad. He was taken into custody and is being questioned in connection with the incident.The police said Jose has a criminal record with around 33 cases, including housebreaking, snatching, and thefts committed by breaking into houses.The police are continuing the investigation into the sexual harassment complaint and are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
