Stalker sexually assaults woman in Chitradurga, arrested: Police

A case of rape and kidnapping has been lodged against the key accused and kidnapping charges have been invoked against his 4 aides

A 27-year-old man and his four associates were arrested for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 24-year-old government employee after she repeatedly turned down the key accused’s marriage proposal last week, police said on Thursday.

The key accused had been stalking her for past several months and proposing her for marriage but she refused. (File photo)

The police quoted the survivor as saying that the incident took place on April 20 when she was on her way to office. She said that the key accused had been stalking her for past several months and proposing her for marriage but she refused. The incident took place within the jurisdiction of the High Grounds Police Station in the city.

Central division deputy commissioner of police HT Shekar said: “The woman and the key accused knew each other for past four years. When the survivor repeatedly turned down his marriage proposal, he hatched a plan to kidnap her. On April 20, as the woman was walking towards her office, the accused followed her and asked her to talk to him in the car for a few minutes. After she got inside the car, the accused, along with his four accomplices, drove the car to a secluded place in Chitradurga, about 220 kilometers away from Bengaluru city. The accused then raped her.”

Acting on woman’s complaint, the High Grounds police arrested all five accused, aged between 25 and 30. Shekar said: “The survivor managed to escape, returned to Bengaluru, and filed a complaint on April 23. We have registered a case under IPC sections 359 (kidnap) against four accused and booked the prime accused under section 376 (rape) and kidnapping. All the accused were produced before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate court that remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.”

The incident took place a day after Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was allegedly stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College by her stalker, Fayaz Khondunaik