Alappuzha: A lottery officer was arrested for allegedly molesting a foreigner on the Jan Shatabdi Express near the Alappuzha railway station.

District Lottery Officer P Christopher (54), a native of Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRF) on the complaint of a tourist from the US.

According to cops, the incident happened at 8.10 am on the D-1 coach when the train was entering the Alappuzha railway station.

“The accused was seated next to the tourist, who hails from Florida in the US. According to her complaint, he inappropriately touched her hand a couple of times. He molested her just as the trained pulled into the station and alighted quickly,” a senior officer said.

The victim was in a state of shock and complained to the Travelling Ticket Examiner. But then the train left the station. When it reached Ernakulam South, she lodged a complaint with the railway police.

“A probe was launched, and the man was identified from the reservation list. He was arrested and booked with charges under Section 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman). The accused was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court, Cherthala, which remanded him in judicial custody,” the officer said.