Bengaluru Cubbon Park rape: Security agency chief arrested

Bengaluru: The Cubbon Park police on Saturday arrested the proprietor of Pawan Security Services for failing to provide back verification documents of the two security guards, who were involved in the gang-rape of a 30-year-old tennis aspirant in Cubbon Park on Wednesday.

“The accused, Keshavamurthy, was arrested under section 20 of the Private Security Agency Regulation Act,” said Sandeep Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), central division. The police had nabbed Raju Meti, 28 and Bolinn Dass, 38, both native of Assam, who were employed by the company and deputed at Cubbon Park for the Horticulture Department.

Soon after the arrest, the police had inquired with the security agency whether they had got the background verification done for the accused before hiring them, for which the company had replied in positive and requested the police for some time to submit the relevant verification documents.

However, the agency, which failed to submit the documents within a day, allegedly told the police that the accused were recruited by reference on word of mouth which they assumed to be verification.

The Cubbon Park police then arrested the proprietor of the agency, Keshavamurthy, on Saturday. It may be recalled that the guards had taken the victim to a secluded place in the park on the pretext of arranging her accommodation and raped her.

The victim, from Tumakuru, had come to enquire for tennis coaching on Wednesday. Since it was a holiday for the club, the staff asked her to come the next day, but the victim stayed back and found by the two accused guards sitting at the parking lot on the fateful night.

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