Mumbai, Jan. 4: Following protests by women’s groups and the Shiv Sena, five youths have been detained for allegedly molesting a New Year’s Eve reveller. But with the victim not coming up with a formal complaint, they are yet to be arrested.

A news photographer had shot images of the woman being groped by revellers on the night of December 31 at Gateway of India. The pictures showed the woman struggling to free herself from the revellers and a man trying to shield her. According to the photographer, Shadab Khan, the woman cried for help and freed herself after a struggle.

A delegation led by the Sena’s women’s wing leader, Neelam Gorhe, met Mumbai police chief Anami Roy and suggested that action be taken against the alleged molesters.

Based on information given by an anonymous caller who identified some youths in the photographs, the police had raided Tardeo Chawl in north-eastern Mumbai’s Narayan Nagar area and detained the youths.

Till this evening, the police had neither arrested the youths nor pressed molestation charges against them. “We are trying to find out if they were spectators or part of the (molester) group,” a Colaba police official said.

The youths have denied the allegations. “We reached Gateway of India around 11.30 pm and saw this man struggling to protect a woman. We tried to help but the pictures make us appear as if we are perverts,” one of them said.

The police have appealed to the woman to come forward and lodge a complaint. If a complaint is not registered, a Colaba police station officer could be asked to become a complainant.

US tourist molested

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested by Colaba police following a molestation complaint by an American tourist.

According to the police, the 25-year-old tourist visited a museum in south Mumbai yesterday. She was shooting photographs when the boy, who was from a group she was photographing, molested her. She complained to the museum registrar, who lodged a complaint at Colaba police station today.