B'luru molestation: Police chief makes U-turn, says 'credible evidence' found

Bengaluru: Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Praveen Sood, in a Twitter post on Tuesday night said that an FIR had been registered in the Bengaluru mass molestation case.

Sood, who took charge on January 1 itself, said the police had found ‘credible evidence’ in a case of ‘wrongful confinement, molestation and attempt to rob’ during New Year’s celebrations at MG Road and Brigade Road in the city.

“Enquiry conducted by a DCP rank officer has gone through feed from 45 cameras at MG road. Unedited video available with police,” he tweeted.

Sood said that the investigation is underway and ‘police is working…though silently.’

Earlier on Monday, Sood had said that, “if we are given coordinates of any lady molested on 31st at MG Rd, we the police will visit her and take appropriate action without delay”.

On Tuesday, Sood had told Deccan Chronicle that police had gone through the entire CCTV footage and found ‘no evidence’ of any molestation of women celebrating New Year. “We have found no such evidence. We are appealing to the alleged victims to file a complaint to us and we will register an FIR against the perpetrators and try and identify them. If the victims are hesitant to come to the police station and take down their complaint, we can go to their homes."
He said however that "so far no one has come forward with any complaint or CCTV footage, which shows women being molested in the crowd,” said the new City chief. He said he has also asked the TV channels, which were telecasting the party live to share the footage with the police

The city police who have culled images from 45 CCTV cameras installed on MG Road and Brigade Road told Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday that they were going to release the unedited version of the two-minute footage of the alleged case of mass molestation (of women) during the New Year’s Eve street party on the Police Commissioner’s Twitter handle.

“The two minute video, which has gone viral with blurred images of women will be released in the unedited version on the commissioner’s Twitter handle to show the public, the truth,” said an official source.

But such video has appeared on the Police Commissioner’s handle yet.