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Bengaluru: A 32-year-old gymnastics coach was so besotted with a 11-year-old girl that he stalked her for months before her parents approached the police and got him arrested.
The suspect, Manjunath SS, conducted gymnastics classes for children in apartment complexes across the city. The girl's parents — both working in IT companies — enrolled her in one such class at their apartment complex in Varthur, southeast Bengaluru, police said.
But barely weeks into the class, Manjunath grew possessive of the girl. He started giving her extra attention, offered additional classes and constantly tried to stay close to her, police added.
Observing his behaviour, the girl became uncomfortable and informed her parents who stopped her training and confronted the coach. But Manjunath didn't stop at that. He began stalking the girl, following her to school, markets and other places to track her movements, police stated.
Police said Manjunath even went to the extent of sending emails to her father to update him on her daily movements and whereabouts. He also used to tell the father that he would feel so happy by seeing the girl from a distance and it was very special.
Shocked over his emails, the parents panicked and started accompanying her everywhere, as the coach had begun following her even to shopping complexes, and ensured she was never left alone.
But when Manjunath didn't stop, the parents filed a complaint with the Bellandur police.
On November 6, police arrested the coach, a resident of Mailasandra in Kengeri, under the Pocso Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for stalking and harassment.
What her parents really went through
The girl's mother recalled how the coach's "undue and intrusive" personal interest in their daughter made them so uncomfortable they couldn't move out freely.
"We discontinued her participation in his classes. But he started harassing and and stalking her. He repeatedly called us from different numbers and sent emails containing intimidating and manipulative statements, including threats of self-harm and other delusional claims intended to create fear. He stalked our daughter’s school bus, and at a frequent traffic stop, he would call out her name and perform gymnastic moves to attract her attention," the mother stated.
The coach even followed the parents outside their apartment block and followed the mother and the daughter into a nearby toy store, she said.
Although the apartment association terminated Manjunath following the family's complaint, he joined another residential community where he allegedly repeated similar behaviour with another minor. He was terminated from there, too.
DCP: Check trainers’ background
K Parashuram, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Whitefield), told DH: "Parents must verify the background of trainers before sending their children to classes — be it music, dance, gym or any extracurricular activity. They should also regularly seek feedback from their children. If they notice any suspicious behaviour from trainers, they must alert the police immediately to prevent any untoward incidents."