E-Paper
Chandigarh: ‘Serial molester’ addicted to porn, hates women: Police
Police plan to conduct a psychoanalysis to better understand Sawan Bhatti’s behaviour; the accused has sexually assaulted multiple victims in Chandigarh parks
His addiction to porn and a deep-seated hatred towards women fuelled the 28-year-old gym trainer’s sexual assaults on women, police probe has revealed.
During his interrogation, the accused, Sawan Bhatti, a trainer at a gym in Phase 5, Mohali, who has been arrested for sexually assaulting multiple victims at parks, confessed that he derived the idea for his assaults from porn content available on the internet. Police plan to conduct a psychoanalysis to understand his motivation behind such assaults.
Bhatti admitted that the frequency of his attacks increased when he realised that his victims were afraid to approach police after his threats. This emboldened him to commit sexual assaults almost weekly.
Hailing from Uttarakhand, he resides in Sector 49, with a live-in partner. However, due to different work schedules, they are rarely together at home.
Investigation also revealed Bhatti’s deep-rooted hatred towards women, with the attacks being part of his revenge. Police also found that Bhatti was once slapped by a woman, which could have spurred his hatred towards women. However, another round of questioning is pending, during which police will further probe his motive.
Investigators are independently verifying details of all seven assaults linked to Bhatti, encouraging more victims to come forward. He has been so far booked in two FIRs lodged at the Sector 17 and 11 police stations for sexually assaulting two women at parks in Sectors 16 and 15 in May and June, respectively. Another assault near a government college park in March has also come to fore.
Collaboration with Mohali police is ongoing to investigate related incidents in that area.
The police intensified their efforts after two similar incidents were reported with similar modus operandi and within a short span, indicating a dangerous serial offender on the loose.
Nearly, after a month and a half of chasing the accused, on July 1, police officers spotted a white Honda Activa matching the suspect’s description at the Sector 23 light point. Bhatti was immediately apprehended.
To avoid detection, Bhatti would go to Mohali for two hours after each assault before returning home, using sector roads and slip lanes to evade cameras and avoid detection. The police are also probing his workplace, a gym in Mohali Phase V, for any complaints of assault.
Initial CCTV footage only showed one letter, “F,” on Bhatti’s number plate, which he had obscured. The police cross-checked all F-series white Honda Activas in tricity but couldn’t trace him. It was later discovered that his scooter was registered in Uttarakhand.
Over 25 teams, comprising 50-60 officers, were deployed nightly at strategic points across the city to apprehend the accused behind multiple assaults.
