JOIN USNot knowing City well did her in
Lack of first-hand knowledge of City’s geography and ignorance about the background of the private travel operator proved costly for the 22-year-old BPO employee who was gang-raped by two drivers late on Saturday night.
The victim moved to Bengaluru just three months ago and wasn’t familiar with the City’s geography. In fact, some of her friends warned her against boarding the van (KA-03/B 1836) in which there was no passenger, except the two drivers. She thought it safe and boarded it, which led to the incident, City Police Commissioner N S Megharik said.
She told the police that she was not acquainted with the place where she was gang-raped. The victim told the police she was taken via Sony signal junction, said the police.
The distance between the victim’s workplace and her PG accommodation facility is about three kilometre. She reached Bommanahalli junction around 9.30 pm on Saturday and got into the van. The two drivers took the vehicle to an under-construction building, gang-raped her and dropped her back at Bommanahalli junction.
She reached the paying guest accommodation and contacted her friend, who shifted her to the hospital, said the police.
Cellphone snatched
The suspects snatched her cellphone when she made an attempt to call her friends. They removed the SIM card and threw it away to silence her. However, they returned her handset when they dropped her back at Bommanahalli junction.
The duo did not assault the victim, but punched her once. Hence, she suffered some bruises. “She is perfectly fine and did not suffer any major injuries,” the commissioner clarified.
The police said that two other departments - Labour Department and Regional Transport Office - will have to check whether there are any violations of their departments’ guidelines by the travel company and the van owner.
The matter would be discussed with the authorities concerned soon, the police added.
Protests Various associations staged a protest rally in front of Town Hall on Tuesday condemning the gang rape. AIDSO vice-president N Ravi said that the number of rapes and sexual assaults on women were increasing in the City and the government should take measures to prevent such incidents. The government should ensure strict action against those committing atrocities on women, he added.
‘Crime graph up in State’
Karnataka was known for peace and harmony at one point of time, but of late, the State is competing with a few other states in crime graph, he added.
All India Cultural Association’s K Hemavathi said porn movies and porn literature have triggered sexual assaults on women.
The Censor Board and the government have failed to prevent the circulation of such materials, she added.