Bengaluru: A 31-year-old rape accused and an habitual offender, who was out on bail has been arrested again after two women lodged complaints about sexual assaults in the HAL police station here.

Three days following a rape complaint lodged by a woman residing in a hostel, the HAL police received another complaint from a woman residing in a nearby hostel that she had been sexually assaulted and robbed. Her description of the offender was similar to the earlier complainants and she positively identified the accused, Shivarama Reddy on being shown a photograph.

When a police team tried to arrest Reddy on Tuesday, he allegedly attacked them with a knife injuring three policemen. The police said they had to open fire at Reddy just off the city’s Marathahalli Outer Ring Road, injuring him in the leg before he could be arrested.

Reddy, a native of Andhra Pradesh has been residing in Bengaluru for the past several years and often used to target women staying in PG accommodations

Reddy was involved in more than 10 cases of extortion, robbery, theft, attempt to murder, molestation and rape. His modus operandi is to enter girls/women’s PG accommodations or hostels and carry out extortion, theft, molestation and rape.

In June 2014, Reddy had entered a PG accommodation in Doddathogur and had raped a 25-year-old software engineer. Sensing threat to public order following the incident, the police had detained him under the provisions of the Goonda Act in August 2014.