Closing hour tiff: Woman hurls abuses at cop, arrested

The city police arrested a 35-year-old woman freelance journalist for abusing and assaulting a woman police sub-inspector in the wee hours of March 12, after an argument over dinner at a hotel which was about to close for the day in Koramangala.

The arrested has been identified as Nikitha, a resident of Devarchikkanahalli.

The incident happened before the Empire Hotel around 1 am when the night beat police patrol were on the rounds ensuring closure of bars, pubs and hotels in and around Koramangala.

A team of Hoysala patrol police officials, including police sub-inspector R V Manjunath and constable Mahesh Kanasogi, were on patrol duty near the hotel. The cops spotted a woman entering a hotel that was about to be closed. The policemen told her she cannot get inside as it was closing hours. The woman started arguing that she wanted to have dinner and they cannot stop her. Since there were no women officials, Manjunath informed the police control room to send a woman officer.

WPSI Lakshmi Bai Erappa Mendageri (26) attached to the Suddugunte police station arrived at the spot and engaged with the woman. She created a scene in the middle of the road, abusing the woman PSI in an expletive-laden rant. She assaulted the PSI when the latter tried to get her to the side of the road. The woman then ran for a distance, took an auto-rickshaw and fled.

PSI Manjunath filed a complaint with Koramangala police, booking the woman under IPC sections 332 — voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty, 353 — assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty, 504 — intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and 509 — word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman. The police identified her as Nikitha and arrested her the next day. She was produced before a magistrate who granted her bail on Wednesday.