Bengaluru molestation case: Four arrested; ITI student among 6 accused, girl was being stalked for days

Four persons were arrested on Thursday in connection with the groping and assault of a woman by two scooter-borne men near her home on New Year's eve in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru: Amid national outrage over case of a woman being groped and assaulted by two scooter-borne men near her home here on New Year's eve, Commissioner of Police Praveen Sood said on Thursday that Aiyappa, an ITI student, who was a delivery boy, was the main culprit.

"When we saw the video I felt that I don't have to talk to the victim at all. We did not wait, we did not waste time to look for the victim or contact her. We registered FIR on January 03. We have successfully arrested four people out of six. We suo moto registered the case because what had been shown on the video convinced us beyond all possible doubt that this was a heinous crime," he said addressing the press.

"All the accused are from Bangalore. Aiyappa, a delivery boy and ITI student is the main culprit. Aiyappa molested the girl, there was no friendship or any such thing except that they stay close by. They had been stalking the girl for a few days. After their celebration in name of New Year, they molester her," Sood added. 

He further said, "Recovered a bike, accomplices also identified, will be arrested soon. It was a clear case of groping and molestation. They have confessed (to the crime). Victim is in trauma, we should respect her privacy."

The names of other arrested are - Leno, Sudesh and Somashekar.

Sudesh is also a delivery boy, Leno is a helper and Somashekhar a driver.

Yesterday, the shocking incident caught on camera had come to light. 

The video footage shows two men accost a woman on a scooter, race past her and take a U-turn, only to park the vehicle, after which one of them jumps off and gropes her before escaping, even as bystanders watch without coming to her help.

In the video footage caught on the CCTV of a residential building, one of the two men was first seen approaching the woman and forcing himself on her and dragging her to the scooter while the other person is seated on it, before pinning her down.

As the victim resists and tries to free herself from the clutches of the culprit, he pushes her down on the road and both escape from the scene, but not before the victim slaps the one who had grabbed her.

Prashant Francis, a resident of Kammanahalli, came forward with the 'gory' video to help police.

Meanwhile, on late December 31 night, several women were molested and groped and lewd remarks passed by miscreants on MG Road and Brigade Road, despite the presence of 1,500 police personnel to control the unruly New Year revellers.

(With PTI inputs)