Bangalore: Police revealed after investigation that Shivram Reddy (28), accused in the rape of a PG techie from Jharkhand in Bangalore’s electronic city, is a serial rapist. Police says that he has possibly raped 33 girls in the capital city.
Commissioner of police Raghavendra Auradkar said, “We are going to book Shivarama under the Goonda Act. He is involved in many criminal cases.”
Additional Commissioner of police (crime) Pronab Mohanty said, “As of now, there is only one rape case registered against him. The other victims have complained of robbery.” He said Shivarama has committed some other rapes, but the girls are not coming forward to file complaints against him, as they are unmarried and fear stigma.
One of the victims who went to the police station after the team headed by the police inspector of Parappana Agrahara, R Vasu arrested Shivarama, told the police that she is thankful that he has been caught. She identified him even before the police asked her to do so.
Sources said that Shivarama is a native of a small village in Palamaner in Andhra Pradesh. He came to Bangalore after his sister got married. He started working in a housekeeping firm with his brother-in-law. He was residing near Avalahalli in Bangalore rural. Reddy started working as a cab driver in 2011. Reports say that he once caught a couple making out in his cab. Shivarama reportedly started blackmailing the girl and forced her to sleep with him.
A case was registered at Anekal police station in the same year, but he was not booked for rape. They registered a case under IPC section 354 – outraging a woman’s modesty.
Emboldened, Shivarama targeted unmarried girls staying in PGs, the police said. When police from Adugodi, Mahadevpura and a few other police stations arrested him, Shivarama confessed only to crimes like theft and robbery. But he did not admit to rape and no complaints were filed against him.
Shivarama would go into PGs around 1 am or later. He used to rape the girls if they were alone. If he found two or more girls, he would rob their valuables and flee. Police have recovered more than six gold chains and some cash from him.
