Bengaluru: Two days after a 22-year-old BPO staffer was kidnapped and raped, the Madivala police have arrested two drivers from HSR Layout on Monday. Police said that the accused had confessed to the crime.
The arrested have been identified as Suneel, 23, a native of S Bidare village in Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, and Yogesh, 27, of Seendigere village of Rekke hobli in Chikkamagaluru district. Suneel and Yogesh are said to be related and were staying in a rented house in C.K. Acchukattu.
City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh, who held a press conference on Monday evening, said the two were working in the city as drivers for the last three years. “This was a blind case where the police did not have many clues. The survivor had also given some sketchy details like only three digits of the registration number of the vehicle. After an analysis of various registration numbers and checking of various similar vehicles, we zeroed in on the vehicle used in the crime and the vehicle has been seized.”
When asked about the circumstances that led to the arrest of the accused, he did not reveal much saying that ‘it was a proper police work’.
Mr. Megharikh said that on Saturday night, the victim after leaving her workplace was waiting at the Bommanahalli Junction to get transportation to reach her PG accommodation near Aiyappa Temple in Madivala. “Meanwhile, the tempo traveller approached her and one of the accused told her that the vehicle was going to Madivala. Her female colleague, who was also waiting for transportation, warned her not to board the vehicle, as there were no other passengers. However, the survivor neglected her advice and boarded the vehicle.”
“The accused did not stop at her desired destination but took the vehicle near an under construction building somewhere near Domlur or Old Airport Road, where they stopped the vehicle and raped her one after the other. Later, they took her back to Madivala and pushed her out of the vehicle near Aiyappa Temple. They had threatened her that they would kill her if she revealed the matter to anyone and had taken away her SIM card but had returned her phone. She was freed only around 2.30 am on Sunday. After that she managed to reach her PG. Before she could reach, some of the inmates of the PG had filed a missing complaint with the Madivala police, as she had not reached PG nor she was reachable,” he explained.
“After she reached the PG, her friends admitted her to St. John’s Hospital. By Sunday afternoon, there was a medico-legal notice from hospital and the police took up a rape case and launched an investigation,” he added.
When asked about whether the company she was working for had violated any guidelines set by the Labour department regarding women employees working through late nights, Mr. Megharikh said that it will be verified and action will be taken accordingly.
