If the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital was not shocking enough for the country, two more brutal cases of sexual assault were reported within 24 hours in Bengaluru, further fuelling concerns about women’s safety.
The first case, reported in the early hours of Sunday morning, involved the rape of a college student travelling from Bengaluru’s prime locality, Koramangala, towards her residence in Hebbagodi. The final-year degree student at a city college, after spending time socialising with friends at a get-together in Koramangala, was forced to hitchhike her way home after her vehicle broke down, according to police officials. The accused offered her a ride but instead took her to a different location, where he assaulted and raped her.
In response, the police formed five teams to track down and arrest the suspect. Raman Gupta, Additional Commissioner (East Division), stated that while only one suspect has been identified so far, they are investigating whether the attack was premeditated. “We have registered a rape case and started an investigation. The victim is undergoing medical treatment in a private hospital, and her condition is stable,” Gupta told the media.
The second case, reported in Bengaluru’s Chandra Layout, involved the kidnapping and illegal confinement of a woman in her late 40s and her 20-year-old son. The duo was held captive from August 13-16 by a group of rowdy sheeters in a house in Kengeri.
The Chandra Layout case, police say, was clearly premeditated. The woman and her son were illegally confined by the group with the intention of extorting money from them, as the son was allegedly involved in disposing of stolen mobile phones and gold chains through his mother (the victim) and two friends.
The group suspected that the mother-son duo had made approximately Rs 2 lakh from selling stolen goods and were hoping to extort money from them.
They kidnapped the pair from their Chandra Layout residence on August 13 and illegally confined them in a house in Kengeri belonging to two other accused, Prathap and his wife Sowmya.
“During the illegal confinement, some of the accused physically and sexually assaulted both the mother and son, but no sexual intercourse took place,” the police clarified. After a series of assaults and detaining them for a couple of days, the accused realised that the victims did not have the money they were seeking and released them with a warning.
“The duo filed a complaint at the Chandra Layout Police Station following their release, and a case has been registered against the accused for kidnapping, illegal confinement, extortion, and physical and sexual assault,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Division), S Girish.
So far, nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the case — Joseph (rowdy-sheeter), Srinivas aka Pagal Seena (rowdy-sheeter), Sowmya and Prathap in whose house the victims were confined, Jathin, Vignesh, Syed Shahbuddin (the auto driver who was used to kidnap and transport the victims), Swathi, and Madesha.
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