Bangalore ATM butcher still at large

Bangalore: Almost four days after 38-year-old bank manager Jyothi Udaykumar was viciously attacked by an unidentified man while she was withdrawing money in a ATM kiosk at Hudson circle, the police are yet to zero in on the assailant.

The 200 plus city-based policemen and numerous CCB sleuths who have been dispatched primarily for finding the ATM butcher, are said to have spread out to cover remote areas in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

One team in particular has reportedly gone to Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, where a similar incident of a brutal attack on a woman withdrawing money in an ATM took place a few months ago. The victim is said to have succumbed to her injuries on the spot; but the entire event was reportedly recorded by the CCTV inside the ATM. The Bengaluru city police team has gone to Dharmavaram with the intention of examining the CCTV footage to cross-check whether the same assailant was involved in both cases.  

Following the arrest of Abusar alias Mazdur, who allegedly unknowingly bought the victim’s phone from the assailant in Hindupur on Wednesday; and the questioning of 33-year-old Satish from Tiptur who was thought to resemble the assailant, reports suggest the city police have detained yet another man from Chitoor in Andhra Pradesh and taken him into custody for questioning.

The Silver Jubilee Park police also produced Abusar before a court on Saturday, where he was let off after his statements were recorded.

Meanwhile, Jyothi Udaykumar, whose condition is said to be improving, spoke to a regional television channel, where she is said to have regretted not complying with her attacker’s demands. Jyothi also acknowledged that she would not have suffered had she not argued and given her assailant the money on the spot.