BENGALURU: A 24-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed by her male friend after she spurned his advances demanding sexual favours at a co-living space in the Whitefield police station limits in the early hours of Tuesday.
The accused also threatened the victim and extorted money from her. The accused was identified as Sai Babu Chennuru (37), a native of Andhra Pradesh. He is an employee with a private firm and his wife and children stay in his hometown. The victim, who had been staying in the co-living facility for the past three months, works as an analyst at a private bank.
The accused and the victim were residing at the Pro4, Co-living PG accommodation in Whiterose Layout, Whitefield. A senior police officer said that they were friends.
According to the police, around 3 am on September 16, Chennuru knocked on the victim’s room door and demanded sexual favours. When she rejected his advances, citing that she was on her periods, he stabbed her with a kitchen knife on the left side of her back, causing a minor injury. He then allegedly stripped her, took photographs, and threatened to share them with her family and friends unless she paid him Rs 70,000.
When the victim told him she would borrow money from a friend, the accused took her phone and transferred Rs 17,000 through online payment before fleeing the scene. Later, around 7 am, the woman called her friend, who rushed her to a private hospital. Based on the medico-legal case (MLC) report, the victim filed a complaint.
A case has been registered under charges of attempt to murder, assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, and extortion.
The police added that Chennuru was caught by other residents when he returned in the evening and thrashed him black and blue before handing him over to the police. He has been remanded in judicial custody.
Assault complaint against five
Chennuru on Wednesday filed an assault complaint against five people, including the PG management staff, for allegedly attacking him. In his complaint, he stated that he had been in a relationship with the victim for the past two months and had an argument with her before leaving the PG. Later that night, when he returned, he was allegedly verbally abused and assaulted by Pradeep and Shiva from the PG management, along with three others.