Mall attack: Young woman sprays shoppers with pepper spray, triggers chaos

City-based artist Sravanthi Juluri, who was present at the outlet when the incident took place, reveals the details.

“There were around four people waiting outside the trial room when I stepped in to try on my clothes. My friends, who were waiting outside, noticed that there was this young woman who was constantly stepping out of the trial room to check out her clothes in the mirror outside. Meanwhile, the security guard stepped out for a minute. The young woman suddenly walked out of the trial room, took something out of her bag and started spraying. Thankfully, the spray didn’t hit anyone directly. A security lady caught hold of the girl, but she managed to run away,” says Sravanthi.

“If the security lady had not stepped in at the right time, the woman would have probably sprayed all those sitting on the couch outside the trial room and would’ve escaped with their belongings,” she adds.

“It took a while for the effect of the pepper spray to spread, and everybody started coughing soon. To get rid of the smell, one of the security guards sprayed a room freshener, which then made matters worse. To get rid of the coughing, I decided to stay inside the trial room. I realised later that the security guards had evacuated those in the trial rooms without even realising the gravity of the situation. Many didn’t know it was pepper spray.”

The woman responsible for the attack is believed to have fled the complex and strangely, there is no police case registered. Sources from Shoppers Stop said all necessary security measures have been taken. An official statement from the brand read: “The safety and the security of our customers is of utmost importance to us.”