A hunt to track and arrest a man accused of sexually harassing a woman in Bengaluru earlier this week has ended successfully, with cops scanning footage from 700 CCTVs and finally catching him in a remote village in Kerala.
A CCTV footage showed a man following two women in an alley at the BTM Layout in Bengaluru. As the women try to avoid the man, he suddenly gropes one of them while another tries to defend her. The accused then flees the spot.
The accused, Santosh, is 26 years old and works as a driver in a Jaguar showroom in Bengaluru. The police said he escaped to Hosur in Tamil Nadu from Bengaluru when a manhunt was launched. He then fled to Salem and then to Kozhikode. The cops managed to catch him in a remote village in Kerala, ending the hunt that lasted for almost a week and covered three states.
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Police registered a case under sections relating to assault, sexual harassment and stalking. They managed to track down the victim and her friend. But they requested the cops for privacy and told them they don’t want to be part of the probe, the sources earlier told NDTV.
The poor quality of the CCTV footage posed a challenge as cops tried to identify the accused.
The incident led to a massive political row after Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara’s shocking comment. The minister reacted to the incident and said, “I keep telling the police commissioner daily to be careful, to monitor all areas through patrolling. This is something I say almost every day. When some incidents happen here and there, of course, people’s attention will be drawn towards them. The cops are working 24X7. Some incidents happen here and there. In such a big city, such incidents will happen. We will take the necessary action according to the law. I have spoken to the commissioner this morning, too.”
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The BJP was swift to react to the minister’s comment and called it “insensitive”.
BJP spokesperson Prashanth G said, “This is such an insensitive remark. Is he normalising sexual assault and crimes against women? He is shying away from responsibility and doesn’t want to be accountable.”
BJP MLA and former deputy chief minister Ashwath Narayan said the state home minister’s remark reflects his helplessness.
“The groping incident is condemnable. The Home Minister’s response is disgusting and demotivating. People are losing confidence because of these incidents and statements. His statement shows how helpless he is as a home minister. He should make a responsible statement,” said Mr Narayan.
Mr Parameshwara later apologised and said his statement was misunderstood. “I want to clarify that the statement I made yesterday wasn’t understood properly. I am someone who has always had a lot of concern for the safety of women. I have ensured that the Nirbhaya funds are utilised well for the safety of women. I don’t want my statement to be twisted. If any woman has been hurt, I express my regret and apologise,” he said.
