Bengaluru: Amidst massive protests and public anger against increasing cases of rape in the city, the Bengaluru police finally made a breakthrough in the rape case of a six-year-old specially abled student of Vibgyor International School with the arrest of a skating instructor.
City police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar announced the arrest of Mustafa, originally from Darbhanga in Bihar, six days after the outrageous incident came to light and said the laptop and mobile phone seized from him had pornographic material involving children. “The accused has displayed the traits of a pedophile,” Mr Auradkar said.
The arrest was made after the interrogation of eight people, said the police chief adding, "Mustafa, 31, is the main accused." This is the first arrest in the horrific incident which occurred on July 2 and came to light on July 14 after a police complaint was lodged. Mustafa has been living in Bengaluru for the last 20 years and will be produced before a court on Monday. The accused is married and has a 3-year-old girl child. He stays in Varthur and had joined Vibgyor in 2011.
On his possible involvement in other molestation cases, the police commissioner said this was under investigation. “We have heard from people that the accused was a habitual offender. He was in the habit of taking photos of small children and showing it to people but we cannot confirm it,” he added.
In the other rape case involving a 22-year-old student who was assaulted in Frazer Town, the police have not made any progress after the arrest of three suspects on Saturday. Nor have any arrests been made in the rape case of a trainee nun at a seminary in the city.
Meanhwhile, the home department has prepared a list of guidelines which are expected to reach schools on Monday. The department has ordered CCTV facilities at all schools and the retention of a copy of the work record of employees with the jurisdictional police station, said sources.
Veteran Congressman and horticulture minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa perhaps best summed up the anger over rising crime against women with his remark in Mysore that rapists should be shot dead.
