Gym trainer assaults woman, gives fake surety for bail

A gym trainer who assaulted a woman scooterist at a petrol bunk on January 3 is now accused of providing a fake surety for bail.

Shivakumar, 38, a resident of JC Nagar, was arrested for assaulting 34-year-old Manjula at the fuel station on Siddaiah Puranik Road, Basaveshwara Nagar. He had reportedly damaged her scooter while trying to jump the queue for petrol.

Shivakumar allegedly slapped, kicked and abused the woman while other customers watched as mute spectators. CCTV cameras captured the incident and the video went viral. Manjula later filed a police complaint.

The Basaveshwara Nagar police arrested Shivakumar for assault, outraging a woman’s modesty and criminal intimidation. He was produced before a court on Monday. The court gave him bail. On Friday, Shivakumar arrived at the Basaveshwara Nagar police station along with his surety, Suresh Babu.

When Manju H A, the investigating officer, asked Babu what does he do for a living, he said he is a clerk at a government school and that Shivakumar is his friend. When the policeman asked the name of the school’s headmaster, Babu had no answer.

Suspecting something fishy, Manju checked Babu’s documents and found that the ID card from the Education Department and his pay slip were forged. Babu later confessed he had forged the signature and the seal of the Gauribidanur BEO. He said Shivakumar paid him Rs 5,000.