Woman architect molested in bus; accused let free

A 23-year-old woman architect was molested by a passenger sitting behind her, inside a BMTC bus on February 17.

Though the victim raised an alarm and confronted her molester after reporting it to a woman bus conductor, the bus crew ignored her and the perpetrator got down from the bus.

The harried victim then approached the Upparpet police and filed a complaint.

The police have analysed CCTV footage from both Majestic bus station and Kuvempu Circle where the culprit alighted, but are unable to get clues on the person. A senior police official admitted that the accused is yet to be arrested.

In her police complaint, the woman said she boarded the metro from Indiranagar where she worked and took a bus at the Majestic to get home at Vidyaranyapura.

She boarded the BMTC bus with the registration number KA-57-f-1903 and route number 276 at 9 pm. As she sat on the seat reserved for women, she noticed a man in a
pink shirt, white trousers and white sandals sitting behind her on the seat also meant for women.

As the bus neared the Kuvempu Circle on New BEL Ring Road, the man touched her from behind in an inappropriate way. The woman raised an alarm and confronted the man about his behaviour.

Feigns ignorance

When the woman asked his name, he said he was Karthik and feigned ignorance, insisting he did not do anything. The woman reported the incident to the female conductor of the bus and asked to seat the man somewhere else as he occupied the women’s only seat. But then, the man got out of the bus at Kuvempu Circle and disappeared.

“We are aware of the incident and are yet to take a statement from the woman bus conductor to whom the victim claims to have reported the matter,” said a BMTC official.