BENGALURU: A 44-year-old wholesale saree dealer and his employee have been arrested by the City Market police for mercilessly beating a 55-year-old woman after she stole a bundle of sarees kept at the shop’s entrance. The incident happened on September 20.
The woman has also been arrested for stealing 61 sarees worth around Rs 91,000. She had stolen the sarees to arrange money to buy alcohol.
The shop owner has been identified as Umed Ram, owner of Maya Silk Sarees on Avenue Road, and his employee Mahendra Seervi (25). The woman has been identified as Hampamma from Guntakal in Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh.
At the time of the theft, the shop owner had gone out. Later, when he couldn’t find the sarees, he checked the CCTV footage and saw the woman, accompanied with a boy, entering the shop as a prospective customer and taking the bundle. The next day, he spotted the woman near the shop and thrashed her along his employee.
They kicked her on her abdomen multiple times. The duo continued beating her despite her apologising. Ram then called the police control room and the patrolling staff took her to the station. Following the shop owner’s complaint, she was arrested on September 21 and sent to Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara.
However, after a video of the woman being beaten went viral, the police swung into action and arrested the duo. A few Kannada activists protested outside the shop on Thursday (September 25) evening. The Karnataka State Commission for Women has also written to the City Police Commissioner to look into the matter.
“The attack on the woman came to our notice on Thursday through the video. When Ram filed the complaint, there was no mention that he beat her. Search is on for the person who purchased the stolen sarees from her,” said an officer.
Both Ram and Mahendra have been booked for assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty (BNS 74) and causing hurt (BNS 115). A case of theft (BNS 303(2)) has been registered against Hamapamma.