A man who allegedly kidnapped and tried to molest a 22-year-old woman from North-East at a residential locality in Bengaluru was arrested on Monday after the incident was caught on camera.
"Yes. We have arrested one person. His name is Akshay. He is the culprit," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Lokesh Kumar told PTI last night, as the incident which occurred on April 23 near the victim's paying guest accommodation triggered outrage with passersby watching it passively.
The victim also expressed happiness about the arrest and said, "strict action should be taken against him."
In the CCTV footage, the woman is seen being physically lifted and carried away by the man from behind as she was speaking on her mobile phone in front of her paying guest (PG) accommodation. She was then taken to a desolate under-construction building in the adjacent alley and assaulted, the woman alleged, as she narrated the harrowing ordeal.
Several people were seen walking on the street but none helped her when the incident happened on the night of April 23 at Kathriguppe, a residential locality, in south Bengaluru but which came to light only this week.
"I started shouting, he tried to close my mouth, then I bit him to rescue myself, reacting to it he hit me, then I fell unconscious due to fear," she told reporters. He later abandoned her and fled.
"I was unconscious for about five minutes, by then he was not there. My bag and phone was there."
Demanding the assailant's arrest, she alleged that the man's intention was to sexually assault her.
"I feel this because I had bag, purse and mobile with me, he did not target them. I think his intention was to sexually assault me."
Asked about the police response, she said police came and asked her to file a case, but her PG owners advised her against it, saying it may cause problem to her.
"I think they did that fearing bad name for their PG," she added.
Lokesh Kumar said he only got to know about the incident after the news appeared on TV channels.
Kumar said the PG owner had filed a complaint in which he claimed the woman had stated that she will decide on filing the complaint after discussing the issue with her dear ones.
He said "suo motu complaints in such cases become difficult because the girl has to go hospital for medical examination; she has to go to Magistrate for the recording of her statement. Sometimes women do not want to be exposed."
"However, today we have called the PG owner and obtained the complaint," he said, adding he had ordered DCP South to enquire into the matter in detail.
