Tamil Nadu police arrested a part-time hotel employee in Chennai after he allegedly harassed a Malayali woman who was staying at a hotel in the T. Nagar area, here.

The arrested, Syed Afridi (20), is a resident of Alandur in Chennai. Police said the accused is originally from Nagapattinam and is currently pursuing his third-year college studies in Chennai. 

The incident took place on the evening of February 6, when the 26-year-old woman was alone in her hotel room on Thomas Road in Mambalam. According to her complaint, the telephone in the room was not functioning, prompting a receptionist identified as Syed Afridi to visit her room to rectify the issue, Tamil Nadu media reports said.

After repairing the telephone, the accused allegedly asked the woman whether she was an actress and requested permission to take a selfie with her. When she refused, he reportedly attempted to behave inappropriately. Reports said the woman raised an alarm, following which the man allegedly threatened her and fled the room.

The woman later informed the hotel management, who lodged a complaint with the R-1 Mambalam police station. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and launched an investigation.

A special team led by the inspector of the R-1 Mambalam police station conducted the probe and arrested the accused on February 7.  Afridi was working part-time as a receptionist at the hotel at the time of the incident. After interrogation, the police produced him before a court on February 7, which remanded him to judicial custody.