BENGALURU: Five men have been arrested for sexually harassing, molesting and assaulting a woman in Bannerghatta. The arrested accused are John Richard (24), Puneeth @ Kade (22), Anush Madan (20), Arun (19) and Kaanikya Swamy (50).
The arrest were made based on CCTV footage. The Bannerghatta police formed three teams to track down the accused and apprehended them late on Monday night.
The woman, who was molested and assaulted, expressed relief after the arrests and thanked the police for their support. She demanded strict punishment for the accused to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The woman victim was brutally assaulted and sexually harassed by inebriated youths in Renuka Yallamma Layout near Mailasandra in Anekal taluk, Bengaluru. The incident occurred when the woman, who had moved into a rented house in the area a week ago, was on her way to a shop.
A group of men, allegedly under the influence of ganja and alcohol, blocked her path and subjected her to sexual harassment and physical assault when she resisted. Despite locals intervening, the men continued their rampage and even approached the woman’s house.
The victim filed a complaint with the Bannerghatta police station, but the accused were not arrested immediately. However, after public pressure, the police apprehended the main accused, John Richard.
Meanwhile, a counter case has been filed against a gym trainer who helped the woman. He has been accused of wrongdoing by the main accused, but the woman has come to his defence saying she had called him for help and asked the police to check the CCTV footage.
The victim said, “The police were very supportive. Now the accused are being sent to jail, I am very happy. But they should be given a strict jail sentence as per the law. Other girls should not be victimised like me. I was very scared the day the incident occurred. I was very worried because I was assaulted. But the police were near my house the whole night yesterday. There is no fear or anxiety.”
The Karnataka State Women’s Commission has also sought a report from the police and condemned the incident.
