Bengaluru police have successfully arrested a man accused of sexually harassing a woman earlier this week. The apprehension came after a week-long search that involved reviewing footage from around 700 CCTV cameras and tracking the suspect to a remote village in Kerala.
The incident took place in BTM Layout, where CCTV footage captured a man following two women through an alley. As the women attempted to evade him, he groped one of them, prompting her friend to intervene before he fled the scene.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Santosh, works as a driver at a Jaguar showroom in Bengaluru. Following the incident and the launch of a manhunt, he reportedly escaped to Hosur in Tamil Nadu, then moved to Salem, and finally reached Kozhikode in Kerala, where he was eventually captured.
Authorities have charged him with multiple offenses, including assault, sexual harassment, and stalking. The police managed to locate the victims, who requested to retain their privacy and opted not to participate further in the investigation.
Identifying the suspect from the CCTV footage was challenging due to its poor quality, which slowed down the investigation process.
The situation sparked significant political backlash, especially after comments made by Karnataka’s Home Minister, G Parameshwara. He stated, “I remind the police commissioner regularly to keep a close watch on all areas. In a big city like this, incidents will occur from time to time, and we need to handle them according to the law.” His remarks were criticized for being insensitive, with the BJP labeling them as an attempt to normalize sexual violence against women.
BJP spokesperson Prashanth G condemned the Home Minister’s comments, suggesting they reflected a lack of accountability. Former Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan echoed this sentiment, describing the response as demoralizing and highlighting concerns about public trust in safety measures.
In response to the backlash, Parameshwara later clarified his statements, expressing that they were misunderstood. He reiterated his commitment to women’s safety and apologized to anyone affected by his comments.
