Lower Mainland Transit Police have arrested a Vancouver man who is now charged with sexually assaulting two women on buses that departed from Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver.
The first alleged assault happened around 7:45 a.m. on April 5 when the suspect boarded a Vancouver-bound bus and sat immediately next to the victim, despite the bus being less than a quarter full.
Police say the man repeatedly and inappropriately touched the Japanese exchange student and tried to kiss her and place her hand between his legs.
The victim rebuffed the man’s advances until he got off in the Downtown Eastside. The victim informed her home-stay family who then called the police.
A second incident with a similar MO happened again a week later.
After finding that the suspect descriptions from both incidents matched, police sent plainclothes officers to Phibbs Exchange and arrested the man on April 19. Mukesh Yasarapu, 27, is now facing two charges of sexual assault.
He has been released on bail pending trial. His bail conditions include surrendering his passport, staying in B.C. and he must not sit next to women while riding public transit.
Yasarapu is a graduate student who works a night shift on the North Shore, according to transit police spokeswoman Anne Drennan.
Transit Police have been prioritizing investigations into sexual assaults on the transit system, Drennan said
“We acknowledge that reporting this type of crime can be difficult for victims. We will be thoughtful and sensitive in our approach to ensure every report is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly,” she said in a release.
This story first appeared in the North Shore News.
