Bengaluru: Twelve suspects have been detained by the Bengaluru Police in connection with the molestation case in the city on New Year’s Eve. One person’s involvement is almost confirmed out of 12 suspects detained in the molestation case.
The officials are also verifying the mobile locations of all the suspects. The owner of the house where the CCTV capturing the molestation was installed is also being questioned. Meanwhile, the parents of the suspects protested outside Banaswadi Police Station.
A massive hunt is on to trace two men who allegedly molested a young woman on new year’s day here, said a top police official on Wednesday. “We are searching for two unidentified men who allegedly molested and groped the woman at 2.41 a.m. on Sunday. We have filed a FIR against them suo moto,” Bengaluru’s new Police Commissioner Praveen Sood said. The FIR was filed under sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354A and 354B (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“The FIR was filed on Tuesday night on the basis of a video footage of the incident at Kammanahalli. The victim’s neighbour gave us the video in response to our appeal to provide visual evidence of such incidents.” The footage showed the victim walking in a close residential area towards her house. It also showed the scooter-borne duo turning around and one of them walking across to her. The duo were then seen molesting and dragging her to the two-wheeler, even as she tried to wriggle out, slapping the molester. “We have formed a special team to investigate the incident and get the culprits at the earliest though the victim has not filed a complaint against them,” Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Hemant Nimbalkar said.
The video clip also showed the victim falling on the road after escaping from her attackers even as some onlookers watched “the horror” from a distance. The victim’s neighbour, Francis, had installed a surveillance camera at his house to safeguard his car after it was scratched and damaged. “The victim and her friend approached me to find out if our camera captured the incident and to identify the accused. As it did, I handed it over to the police for tracing the culprits,” Francis told reporters.
Though the victims did not file a complaint, they confided in Francis that the horrifying incident occurred when they were returning home in an auto after celebrating the new year’s day with friends in the city. “The victim’s friend alighted from the auto first and hurriedly walked into their house. The victim paid the auto fare and was walking to the house when the two drove from behind on the scooter and overtook her,” Francis said. “Halting it on the other side, one of them walked up to her, grabbed her by the neck, hugged and kissed her while his accomplice watched passively,” he added. The victim also told Francis that the accused tried to abduct her and were forcing her to sit in the front side of the scooter.
City Police Commissioner Praveen Sood also clarified that the police were still scanning the voluminous footage of the New Year day events on M G Road and Brigade Road where some young women were allegedly molested by unidentified drunken revellers. “We will not spare anyone committing any crime against women, children or others and the rule of law will prevail. We have appealed to the victims of the alleged molestation and eye witnesses to the incident to file a complaint or give us evidence materials,” said Sood.
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