From BTM layout to Kerala: How Bengaluru cops tracked down molestation accused in 10 days

Tracking his movements across state lines, Bengaluru police finally nabbed the accused at a friend’s residence in Kozhikode.

A CCTV clip from Bengaluru’s BTM layout showing a man molesting a woman in the dead of night sent shockwaves across the city, triggering a massive interstate manhunt that finally ended in Kerala.

The disturbing act was captured by a surveillance camera mounted outside a nearby house in Bengaluru.(X)

Late that night, around 1.55 am, two women were walking home when a man trailed them, grabbed one of them, and fled as she screamed. The disturbing act was captured by a surveillance camera mounted outside a nearby house. While the victim didn’t approach the police, the house owner did, alerting the authorities after reviewing the footage the next morning.

The police registered an FIR under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), and 78 (stalking) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an intense hunt for the suspect. With no formal complaint and no visible face in the grainy clip, the case was built entirely on digital traces.

How police nabbed the accused?

In the ten days that followed, a special police team scanned footage from over 700 CCTV cameras to trace the accused, NDTV reported. The trail led them to Hosur in Tamil Nadu, where he had taken shelter at a friend’s home. As the video circulated widely on social media, the pressure mounted, prompting the suspect to flee once again, this time boarding a bus to Kozhikode, Kerala.

The accused, identified as 29-year-old Santosh D, worked as a cab driver in Brookefield and lived with his mother and younger brother in Tilaknagar’s Gulbarga Colony, The Hindu reported. Police said he was under the influence of alcohol during the incident.

Tracking his movements across state lines, Bengaluru police finally zeroed in on Santosh at another friend’s residence in Kozhikode. He was picked up on Sunday, ten days after the assault.

Additionally, though police were able to track down the victim and her friend, they reportedly requested the cops for privacy and told them that they don't want to be a part of the investigation.

(With agency inputs)