Teen molested in moving bus, died of injuries: Karnataka Police

Belagavi assistant commissioner of police, N V Baramani, said the girl worked at a call centre in Bengaluru and had returned to the city from Goa on Tuesday morning

A 19-year-old woman died on Thursday from injuries she sustained after being allegedly attacked and molested on a bus enroute to Belagavi on Tuesday night, a senior police officer familiar with the matter said.

Teen molested in moving bus, died of injuries: Karnataka Police

Belagavi assistant commissioner of police, N V Baramani, said the girl worked at a call centre in Bengaluru and had returned to the city from Goa on Tuesday morning. She boarded a private bus to her home town of Belagavi — located at a distance of about 500 km — that night, said Baramani.

“She boarded the private bus the same night (Tuesday) to travel to Belagavi. She was assaulted, but she was not raped. Misinformation is being spread about the incident,” he said.

A police officer privy to the investigation said the woman had called her parents after boarding the bus and then switched off her phone. It is suspected that she was attacked after the bus crossed Hubballi, said the officer, adding that she had bite marks on her lips and neck along with cigarette burns and had sustained injuries on the head.

According to another officer close to the investigation, only four passengers remained on the bus after Hubballi. The driver used a service road instead the regular Pune-Bengaluru national highway to cover the 105-km distance to Belagavi, said the officer requesting anonymity.

ACP Baramani said the woman got off the bus on Wednesday morning in Belagavi along with her friend, who got her admitted to the district hospital.

“The staff at the emergency and trauma centre noticed she was in an unconscious state and had bite marks on her face and lips and multiple injuries on the head,” said ACP Baramani.

He said the hospital staff listed the matter as a Medico Legal Case (MLC) — the person accompanying the patient has to sign for authorities to administer treatment. However, the woman’s friend left the hospital on the pretext of making a phone call, said the officer.

He called the woman’s parents to inform them of the situation before switching off the phone and leaving, said the ACP.

As the woman’s condition deteriorated on Wednesday, authorities moved her to a private hospital with the consent of the parents, said Baramani. She succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

The woman’s father, an autorickshaw driver, alleged she was raped and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter. “My daughter was raped and there were cigarette burns on her back. I urge authorities for a high-level inquiry. No doubt my daughter was raped and murdered, for which a CBI inquiry must be conducted and the culprits be given capital punishment,” he said.

The woman’s mother said her daughter had joined the call centre in Bengaluru about two months ago and described her as a quiet girl. This was the 19-year-old’s first job.

ACP Baramani said a team has been constituted to track down the woman’s friend.