'Demanded to know her price, then slapped her': Woman molested in Bengaluru; 5 arrested

BENGALURU: Five individuals, including the main accused, have landed in the custody of Bannerghatta police in connection with the molestation of a 26-year-old beautician at Jigani on the outskirts of the city.

The incident in SRK Layout of Mylasandra on Sunday evening sparked outrage after police initially failed to act on the victim's complaint.The accused are John Richard, 24, a water tanker driver, his father Kanika Swamy alias Anthony, 55, Punith alias Kade, 22, Anush Madan, 18, and Arun R, 18. All five were remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday evening.

According to police, Richard was the first to harass the woman who had stepped out to buy milk and curd.

Though initially pulled away by a friend, Richard re-approached the victim while she was trying to navigate past a group of drunk men blocking the road. He made obscene remarks, demanded to know her "price", and slapped her when she objected. The woman retaliated, but Richard and his friends continued the assault.A gym trainer known to the victim intervened and took her into a house. The accused followed, attempting to jump over the compound wall to reach her.

Richard fell and injured his face while trying to scale the wall. Local residents helped stop the group from entering the premises.Despite the victim filing a complaint the evening of the incident, police failed to register an FIR immediately. Instead, both parties were sent home. Later that night, Richard's parents, Swamy and Mary Pushpa, confronted the victim's family, insisting Richard was innocent. They withdrew only when told the incident had been captured on video.The victim approached police again on Monday after seeking medical treatment. By then, videos of the assault had gone viral, prompting senior officers to intervene. Bannerghatta police hurriedly registered two FIRs — one based on the victim's complaint and another against her and her friends, based on a counter-complaint by Mary Pushpa.Senior officials later reprimanded local police for mishandling the case and warned them against misusing counter-complaints in such matters.Richard and his father were arrested late Monday, while the other three accused were picked up early Tuesday. "The investigation is ongoing to determine each accused's role," said Bengaluru district SP SK Baba.The victim told the media: "Such people shouldn't be in society. Jail is the place for them. I moved to the area just a week ago, and now I have to live with this trauma."