Woman molested at Bengaluru mall during Christmas celebrations, suspect nabbed
Credit: Special arrangement
Bengaluru: A woman was allegedly molested at Phoenix Marketcity in eastern Bengaluru during Christmas celebrations on Wednesday night.
Police tracked down the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Manuj Chand (27). He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
The 27-year-old woman was part of the festive crowd at the shopping mall in Mahadevapura when Chand man allegedly approached her from behind around 9.30 pm, touched her inappropriately and escaped before security guards could intervene.
The woman, who works in a private company, later filed a complaint at the Mahadevapura police station.
Police examined CCTV footage of the mall and nearby areas to identify and trace Chand, a Guwahati native working as a Swiggy delivery executive in Bengaluru.
One of the woman's friends said the incident happened "in a flash" amid the celebrations.
"The three of us had gone to the mall to celebrate Christmas. The event was organised by the mall management and music was playing. While everyone was enjoying the programme, this man walked through the crowd, came from behind and touched our friend in an inappropriate manner. She was shocked and screamed to alert us," he told DH.
He added that one of their friends managed to catch hold of the suspect and slapped him, but four men came to his support and helped him escape before security guards could act, he added.
“We immediately informed the mall security guards, but despite our efforts, he and his friends ran away,” he said.