21-year-old student raped by unknown driver; police catch accused within hours

A 21-year-old student was allegedly raped by an unidentified auto driver who offered to drop her. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday, August 18, at a remote location on Hosur Service Road in HSR Layout police district of Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The police reacted quickly and were able to catch the accused within a few hours of the incident.

The survivor, who is reportedly pursuing his final year of Bachelor of Business Administration at a private college, lives in Hebbagodi.

Five special teams formed to investigate the case collected information about the accused based on the survivor's testimony and analysis of video surveillance footage.

Following credible information, the accused was nabbed by the police on Sunday evening. However, the police refused to disclose any further information about the accused as the case is still under investigation, according to a report in The new Indian Express.

Police said the survivor and her male friend had attended a party at a pub in Koramangala. After the party, the friend took her in his car and on the way, they collided with an autorickshaw near a mall, leading to an argument between them and the auto drivers.

A Hoysala patrol car also arrived at the spot after receiving the information and dispersed the two. In the commotion, it is said, the survivor started walking alone and when she reached the NGV junction, a man on a motorcycle approached her and offered to drop her home.

“The man took her to a remote place near a warehouse on Hosur Service Road. Sensing danger, the survivor raised an SOS call to a friend. Before her friend could reach the scene (as per the location provided by him) within 10-15 minutes, the woman was allegedly raped. When she reached the scene, the girl's boyfriend found a man shirtless and with scratches on his face. When he tried to confront him, the accused fled. Soon after, another friend arrived and they took the survivor, who was found lying half-naked on the ground, to a nearby private hospital in their car. The hospital authorities alerted the police,” an official said, adding that a case had been registered based on the complaint filed by the survivor's friend.

On Sunday morning, the survivor underwent a medical examination and the police recorded her statement.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Raman Gupta said the incident took place between 1.00 am and 1.30 am on Sunday. The case was registered at HSR Layout police station under Section 64 (punishment for rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).