BENGALURU: A 40-year-old man, who attempted to snatch the chain of a store attendant, held her hostage at knife-point and dragged her to the road where he threatened to kill her when locals tried to intervene. He was eventually thrashed and handed over to the police after locals rescued the woman.
Prabhuraj a.k.a Raj was working as a delivery agent and the incident occurred three days ago. A video of him dragging and threatening the young woman at knifepoint is now viral on social media. The Indiranagar police have since arrested him .
The woman, identified as Jayashree, was working in Premium Shoe & Bag Repair shop on 100-ft Roada when Prabhuraj barged into the shop around 11.45 am on October 31. He claimed that some people were after him to murder him, threatened Jayashree with a knife to her neck, stuck Fevikwik on her hands and stuck them to a table. He also tied her legs with a dupatta.
#BREAKING | Man attacks woman, holds her hostage before attempting to flee with chain in #Bengaluru.
A man wearing a helmet allegedly assaulted a woman in a shop, held her hostage and attempted to flee with her chain before being caught by the public and handed over to the police in #Indiranagar.
The arrested man was identified as Prabhuraj, 40. “The police are currently verifying the suspect’s background, as he appears to be mentally disturbed and depressed,” said Vikram Amathe, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
The incident occurred on October 31 between 11.45 am and 12.15 pm at the Premium Shoe and Bag Repair Shop on 100 Feet Road, where the victim, 23, worked.
According to the FIR, the suspect barged into the shop, jumped over the reception counter, claimed that someone was coming to kill him and asked the woman not to shout. He was wearing a helmet and gloves, she claimed.
The suspect then covered her mouth, threatened her with a knife and allegedly tried to glue her hands to the desk. She claimed that he shoved a piece of cloth on the desk into her mouth and snatched her 35-gram mangalsutra worth Rs 4.50 lakh.
She also alleged that the suspect grabbed her hair, held the knife at her throat, swung it at the public and even attacked the shop owner who came to her help.
“Acting swiftly with the help of the public, the police secured the suspect, conducted a thorough interrogation, and sent him to judicial custody. The victim is safe and uninjured,” the DCP said.
However, the FIR noted that the victim sustained minor injuries to her neck and hands during the struggle. The suspect has been booked under BNS Section 309 (6) (robbery). Probe is on. @DeccanHerald
— Prajwal D’Souza (@prajwaldza) November 3, 2026
Prabhuraj then snatched Jayashree’s 35 gram gold chain worth Rs 4.5 lakh following which she screamed. Hearing her screams, locals came to the shop. The shop owner Ranjith observed this on CCTV and called a physiotherapy assistant, Nefi John, from a nearby clinic to check on the woman. When John initially checked, there seemed to be no one in the shop. He called back Ranjith who informed him that Jayashree was inside. When John checked again, he saw that the accused had made the woman sit under a table.
When John went to catch Prabhuraj, he attacked him with a knife. John got scared, came outside and closed the rolling shutter of the shop. Then, Prabhuraj, held a knife to the woman’s neck and tried to escape. Locals requested the accused to let go of the woman who has a six-month-old baby. The accused then asked them to hail an autorickshaw which was arranged.
When the accused got into the auto and was about to escape, the locals, with help from the traffic police, caught him and handed him over to to the police. A rusty knife and petrol were found in his bag. Further investigation is under way. “The accused has been sent to judicial custody and the victim is safe and uninjured” DCP (East) Vikram Amathe said.
