A 42-year-old man has been arrested in Bengaluru after a woman accused him of harassing her with obscene remarks while she was waiting for her cab by the roadside, police said on Tuesday. An FIR has also been registered in connection with the incident. The woman was waiting for a cab near KPL Gardens, 5A Cross, Manjunath Nagar, Kalkere, on Sunday night when the incident took place.
The accused, identified by police as Vijay Raghav, a fruit seller, approached the woman on a two-wheeler and allegedly made an indecent proposal to her in exchange for money. When she began recording him on her phone, he fled the scene.
The matter came to light after the woman shared her ordeal on Instagram on July 27, sharing the vehicle's registration number, KA03 KQ6190, and appealing to authorities to take action.
What did the woman say?
In a video, the woman alleged that a scooter rider approached her, made inappropriate remarks and offered her money in exchange for sexual favours.
"As a woman, I should be able to wait for my cab without being treated like an object or being propositioned for money. No one should have to experience this kind of harassment in a public place," she wrote in her post.
She described the man's words as intimidating and disrespectful, adding that they made her fear for her safety. She said she was sharing the incident to raise awareness and request immediate action and accountability from the concerned authorities.
The woman also urged bystanders not to stay silent when they witness harassment. "Such behavior cannot be normalized or ignored. Every person deserves to feel safe in public spaces without being subjected to sexual harassment. Please speak up if you witness incidents like these. Silence only emboldens offenders," she said.
Police identified accused using vehicle's registration number
Following the viral post and complaint, the police tracked down the suspect.
Police identified the accused using the vehicle's registration number shared in her post and registered an FIR after the video surfaced on social media. He was arrested the following night. A senior police officer said, "We have registered an FIR and arrested the accused."
The incident has drawn attention on social media, with many praising the woman for not backing down and for making sure that the accused was caught.
The incident follows another similar case over women's safety in Bengaluru, particularly at night. A woman trainee IPS officer alleged she was physically and sexually harassed by a male colleague, who she said threw condom packets at her.
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