Bangalore: The city police are on high alert and have launched a manhunt for the suspect who brutally attacked a 38-year-old woman bank manager with a machete when she entered an ATM to withdraw cash on Tuesday morning.
The victim, Jyothi Udaykumar, is said to be stable but is undergoing treatment for serious injuries to her skull, brain, and nose at BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri.
Karanataka police chief on Tuesday said the assailant has been identified and efforts are on to catch him.
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The commissioner said eight teams had been formed to search for the suspect, and that all rural and urban police stations in Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu had been intimated to pass on any information about him. CCTV footÂage inside the ATM reveÂaled that the suspect is a tall, dark, and hefty man who was last seen wearing a light blue, checked shirt and khaki pants.
“We have circulated video footage of the incident to all surrounding police stations, and suspect the attacker may have gone toward Tamil Nadu. We are trying to get more information about some habitual offenders who may fit the profile of the suspect,” he said.
Appealing to the public to call SJ Park police if they had any information about the suspect, Auradkar added, “Even after three meetings with bank authorities and top-level officials instructing them to station security guards outside their ATMs, several ATMs remain unguarded. We will convene another meeting soon to ensure such an incident is not repeated.”
Meanwhile, the impact of the assault has been grave, leaving Jyoti with the right side of her body paralysed. Chief neurosurgeon and vice-chairman of BGS Global Hospitals, Dr N K Venkataramana, said, "Jyoti was first examined thoroughly at the emergency unit.
It was clear that she was repeatedly hit very hard on her head, so bone fragments had lodged inside her brain, she had to undergo a major neurosurgery late on Tuesday. The fragments inside her brain substance were successfully removed. The brain coverings were repaired, and the fractured skull bones were reset."
This wasn’t all; Jyothi also sustained injuries to her nose and face. "Shehad to undergo another surgery for the reconstruction of her nose. The plastic surgical team performed this operation; and also took care of deep gashes she had sustained on both her cheeks. At the moment, the patient is conscious and is speaking. She is in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit and is being very closely monitored. She is undergoing regular blood transfusions and is on medical management. Since the major injury is in the brain, she will need time to recover,” added Dr Venkataramana.
