Mumbai: The Mumbai traffic police has arrested and jailed a woman driver for drunken driving last night. The accused, Bhakti Chugani (42), was driving a Mercedes (MH 04 BW 8468), on Friday night when she was stopped and tested with a breathalyzer. She failed the test and was booked and produced before the special metropolitan court on Monday. She was given a day's simple imprisonment at the Azad Maidan lock-up and was released in the evening. The police have also impounded her driving license for six months and she was fined Rs 2,000. Chugani thus becomes the first woman to be convicted for drunk driving.

Said a police official from the Bandra police station, "We get around five to six cases of drunk women drivers. So far, we have been lenient, but now we will begin cracking the whip."

Another official from the Colaba traffic police who arrested Chugani said that women used to be let off easily as there were no women police officials to check them. "The seniors have now ordered women officials to help in drunken driving cases," an officer said. Chugani has been booked under section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (drunken driving). Meanwhile, the traffic police claims increased patrolling since July 22 has been such a success that there has been no fatal accident so far.