Mexican man molests woman at Jewish centre, held

The city police have arrested a Mexican man for badually harbading a woman at a Jewish prayer centre on Richmond road and punching a cop who went to inquire the incident.

Julian Heriberto (25) joined as a cook six months ago at the Chabad Jewish Centre on Richmond Road. A couple -Noa Pivkin (35) and her husband David Rabbi- acted as the centre’s caretakers. They lived inside the centre’s premises at an outhouse.

Police said David Rabbi was on a trip abroad and his wife was in-charge of the centre. At 5 pm on November 11, a woman came to the place for Sunday prayers and Heriberto allegedly touched her inappropriately, prompting her to raise an alarm.

Sampath Kumar R (40), a head constable at the City Armed Reserve (CAR), who was deployed at the place for security as foreign nationals came to pray there, hurried into the prayer hall after hearing the woman scream.

Heriberto punched Kumar on the face, brandished a knife and threatened to stab the cop if he made attempts to capture him. Kumar called the police control room for reinforcement. A team of policemen reached the spot soon and arrested Heriberto.

The woman Heriberto abused, meanwhile, refused to file a complaint with the police saying that she had plans to travel abroad and the case will come as an obstacle, police said.

Noa Pivkin later apprised her husband of the incident and, with his consent, lodged a complaint with the Ashok Nagar police.

Police booked Heriberto under IPC section 354-A – badual harbadment, 353 – badault or using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties, 504 – Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and 506 – criminal intimidation.