Man arrested in Kerala for molestation case in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A suspect has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman at Suddaguntepalya here earlier this month, police said.

Santosh, aged about 29 has been arrested from Kerala's Kozhikode, they said.

The incident allegedly occurred at 1. 55 am on April 3 in Suddaguntepalya and the CCTV footage attributed to the incident had gone viral.

When two women were walking on the street that day, a man, whose face was not visible, grabbed one of them and harassed her.

He had immediately fled the scene when the women screamed for help.

The police had registered an FIR under sections 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), and 78 (stalking) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda had recently said that efforts were on to trace the suspect based on CCTV verification, and footage from more than 300 cameras were examined by investigators.

He had also said that multiple teams were formed to nab the accused.

The incident sparked a controversy following Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara's problematic statement on the sexual assault.

Reacting to the incident, the minister had 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."