NEW DELHI: The nation was left shocked after two Australian women cricketers participating in the ICC Women's World Cup were molested in Indore - an incident that has left every Indian shaking their head in shame.

The incident took place in Khajrana Road area on Thursday morning and the accused was nabbed on Friday evening, an official said. Sub-Inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi said the two cricketers had stepped out of their hotel and were walking towards a café when a man on a motorcycle started following them.

The accused, identified as Aqeel Khan, has been apprehended by the Madhya Pradesh police.

In the aftermath of the incident, security has been beefed up in Navi Mumbai ahead of the second semifinal between India and Australia, as well as the final scheduled to be held in the city.

"Since the very first day that is, from October 18th, when practice started here, we have deployed guards at all the hotels where the women players are staying. Apart from that, whenever the team travels from the stadium to the hotel or vice versa, we provide them with an escort. Here on the ground, we have deployed approximately 600 personnel, comprising 75 officers and the remainder as police constables. In addition, if any player wants to go out, they must inform us, and we provide them with protection as well," a senior police officer told India Today.

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He further stated that security personnel are on duty round the clock for the players' safety and instructed them to inform the authorities before stepping out of the hotel alone.

"After learning about the incident, actually, we were already taking precautions from the beginning, but sometimes what happens is that players go out without informing the police, and that creates a problem. If they inform us beforehand, we ensure their protection."

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia strongly condemned the incident, reiterating the board's zero-tolerance stance on such matters and assuring that security measures will be further strengthened.

"This is a deeply regrettable and isolated incident. India has always been known for its warmth, hospitality, and care towards all guests. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards such acts. We appreciate the swift and effective action taken by the Madhya Pradesh Police in apprehending the accused. The law will take its due course to ensure justice is served. We will also review our existing safety protocols and strengthen them further, if necessary, to ensure such incidents are not repeated," said Saikia in a statement released by the BCCI.