Bengaluru BPO staffer’s rape: Two arrested drivers threatened to kill her
BENGALURU: The police, who had launched a massive manhunt for two men who had kidnapped and raped a 22-year-old BPO staffer in a Tempo Traveller, have arrested two drivers hailing from Chikkamagaluru district. The arrested accused have been identified as Sunil and Yogesh.
City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh on Monday said that eight teams had been formed to crack the case. As the victim could remember only three digits of the vehicle registration number, the police narrowed down the search and traced the Tempo Traveller. “The vehicle used in the crime was not attached to any transport agency and was picking up passengers on random routes,” he said.
Sources said that over 400 Tempo Travellers were checked during the investigation. “We zeroed in on the vehicle used in the crime only after a thorough check. Our teams stringed bits of information together, checked Tempo Travellers on the HSR Layout route and then came out with positive identification of the vehicle. When the Tempo Traveller used in the crime was stopped, the accused driver, Sunil, did not seem ruffled. But as the victim had informed us about the modifications made inside the vehicle, we were quite sure that we had traced the right Tempo Traveller. The description given by the victim too matched with the physical features of the accused. He was picked up for questioning and he confessed to the crime during interrogation,” sources said.
The van that could provide vital clues in the kidnapping and rape of BPO staffer, at Madiwala police station (Photo: DC)
“He also gave us details of the other accused, Yogesh, who was driving another Tempo Traveller. His location was traced and he too was arrested,” sources said. The two accused men did not go underground after the crime as they were confident that she would not file a police complaint.
“After kidnapping the victim, one of the accused touched her inappropriately. When she opposed, the duo threatened to kill her if she protested. Fearing for her life, the victim gave in. She pleaded with them to not kill her and told them that she would not approach the police if they let her go. The victim also told them that she would catch the next flight to her hometown in North India. Only then did the two accused let her go. In fact, the victim did not want to file a police complaint, but the staff at St John’s Hospital, sensing severity of the crime, insisted on a medico-legal case and alerted the Madiwala police station. We immediately approached her and convinced her to file the complaint,” a source said.
