Following the incident of molestation of two Australian women players in Indore, police are on alert in Navi Mumbai, where two high-profile matches will be played. The India vs Australia semi-final will be held at the Dr. D. Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai and the final match of the tournament will also be held on the same ground.
One of the venues for the Women’s World Cup 2025 was Holkar Stadium in Indore. The hotel where the Australian team was staying had a café. Some female players went there, where a man named Akil Khan touched two female players inappropriately. The Australian team manager lodged a complaint, following which an FIR was registered under sections 74 and 78 of the Indian Penal Code. Indore Police immediately took action after the complaint and arrested Akil Khan within five hours. He is now on two-day remand at MIG police station. Police are investigating Akil’s history to find out whether he has been arrested on any charges earlier.
Tight security in Navi Mumbai
“Since October 18, since the teams have been practicing here, we have deployed security guards near the team hotels. Besides, when the teams are coming from the hotels to the stadium or back, we are also escorting them,” a senior Maharashtra Police official told The Times of India about the security management. He further said, “We have deployed around 600 security personnel at the stadium, which includes 75 officers and the rest are police constables. Apart from this, if the players want to go out, we will provide them security there as well.” The official stressed that players should not go out without informing the police. He said, “We were alert from the beginning, but sometimes players go out without informing the police. This creates problems. If they inform us in advance, we will provide them security there as well.”
Matches to be held at DY Patil Stadium
The second semi-final of the 2025 Women’s World Cup will be played between India and Australia at the DY Patil Stadium on October 30. The final match between its winner and the winner of the first semi-final will be played on November 2 at the DY Patil Stadium.