Australian Women Cricketers Harassed in Indore: Accused Arrested Within Hours
2 Australian women cricketers were harassed in Indore. The accused was arrested within 6 hours, but the case has raised strong concerns about women’s safety in India.
Australia’s women’s cricket team is in Indore, India, for the Women’s World Cup 2025. But on 23 October, a disturbing incident shocked everyone. Around 11 a.m., two Australian players left their hotel, Radisson Blu, to walk to a nearby café about three kilometres away.
While walking on Khajurana Road, a man on a motorbike started following them. He passed lewd comments and then touched one of the players inappropriately. The cricketer reacted quickly and shouted for help, alerting people nearby. The man panicked and fled the spot.
One of the players immediately sent an SOS message to Australia’s security manager, Danny Simons. He rushed to help and filed an official complaint at the MIG Police Station.
Police soon launched a search operation and identified the accused as Aqeell Sheikh, a resident of Azad Nagar. He already had several criminal cases, including robbery and theft. After a six-hour chase, he was arrested and is now being held at Azad Nagar Police Station. A case has been registered under Section 74 (Assault) and Section 78 (Stalking) of the BNS.
Cricket Australia confirmed the incident, saying that two players were approached and touched inappropriately while walking. The BCCI also condemned the incident, with Secretary Devajit Saikia stating that India has zero tolerance for such acts and will review safety measures if needed.
While the police acted quickly, the incident has raised serious questions about women’s safety—even for international athletes representing their countries.
