BENGALURU: The murder of a Ugandan woman in Kothanur late on Wednesday night, has once again brought into sharp focus the danger posed by African students who run crime, drug and prostitution rackets right under the nose of authorities across East Bengaluru.
While policemen admit, off the record, that the murder of the 25 year old woman on Wednesday night by a man she had met in the pub, was a clear case of prostitution that went awry, senior officials are unwilling to publicly acknowledge the reason behind the incident, or admit that prostitution is rampant in the area.
When DC questioned DCP (North East) Dr. P. S. Harsha whether the deceased was involved in prostitution and had been knifed after an argument over the price for alleged sexual favours, he said, “I do not want to commit to any such reason as of now. We are yet to question the accused, who had met the girl just a few hours ago before the incident.”
Foreigners, especially Africans, involved in criminal activities in the city is not unheard of. Residents of Kammanahalli in East Bengaluru and Kothanuru in North East Bengaluru are increasingly uneasy with the underbelly of crime that is run by African gangs. Police, who clearly know what's happening, do little to keep them under control. The only reason is that they will be held responsible for every action in dealing with foreign nationals and they are answerable to the embassy concerned.
"Even we know that many African students are into drug peddling and run the flesh trade. We are acting against them whenever we have a definite clue. But the nuisance they create on streets every night is unstoppable. There are many instances of them assaulting local residents and even policemen when they are questioned. Legally, it will be a laborious process for us once we book any foreign national in any criminal or petty case," an inspector working in the East division said.
