BENGALURU:A month after a 23-year-old BPO employee was gang-raped in a moving bus, a 19-year-old girl was raped in a mini bus by the driver on Thursday night in Sulibele police limits in Bengaluru rural.
Hours after the complaint was registered, police arrested the accused Ravi (21) of Shivamogga and a resident of Hoskote and Manjunath (23), resident of Chintamani.
Police said Ravi raped the victim, who was working as attendant in a nursing hospital, after she turned down his proposals for marriage.
Ravi works as driver and Manjunath is a cleaner-cum-conductor of the mini bus.
According to the police, the girl who was on her way to work in Hoskote, boarded the empty mini bus (AP02 V 4213) at around 7 am at Hasigana village. Ravi, who was driving the bus, asked Manjunath to take the wheel and closed the windows and doors, police said. The victim was not aware of it. Ravi again proposed to the girl, who first spurned him and when he tried to force her to accept his proposal, she scolded him and asked him to keep out of her life.
Frustrated and angry over the victim’s tone, Ravi sexually assaulted the girl, police said.
Meanwhile, Manjunath kept driving and the duo dumped the victim by the roadside in Nagagondanahalli. A few passersby admitted the girl to a hospital. The girl did not inform the police fearing social stigma. It was the hospital authorities who informed the police when they confirmed sexual assault by 6 pm. Police, who rushed to the hospital, gathered information from the victim and arrested the accused at midnight from Hoskote. A police official said, “The accused continued their work as usual assuming the victim would not complain to police.” Police said the accused did not plan to rape the girl and that Ravi raped her after he was angry when the girl turned down his proposal. “Neither of the two accused has any history of crime,” the officer said.
According to police, Ravi was in love with the girl and had been expressing it to her several times for the last two months. The victim, however, had been rejecting his proposals. Police have registered case under IPC Section 376 and have registered a case of atrocity as the victim belonged to the Scheduled Caste. On Friday, police completed medical tests of the accused and the victim. Police will produce the accused before the court on Saturday morning.
Reacting to the incident, Home Minister G Parameshwara directed officials to carry out an intense drive and collect details of all private bus operators and their staffers in their respective jurisdictions.
Timeline
Thursday, 7 am: The girl boards the mini bus at Hasigana for Hoskote, which is 7 kilometres away
7.30 am-10 am: Police say the girl was sexually assaulted
10 am: The girl is dumped by the roadside in Nagagondanahalli
12 noon: Locals admit the girl to a nearby hospital
6 pm: Hospital authorities inform police about the incident
6.30 pm: Police form team to nab the accused
11 pm: Police arrest the accused Ravi and Manjunath
Friday, 10 am: Medical tests conducted on the victim and the accused