• Victim sexually assaulted, slashed with knife
• Accused arrested a few hours after crime

Mysore/Mysuru: Close on the heels of the gang rape incident reported at Chamundi foothill where an MBA student was sexually assaulted on Aug. 24, another case of sexual assault of a girl was reported in the city yesterday (Sept. 3).

The Police, who swung into action immediately, managed to arrest the accused, known to the victim, within hours of the complaint being lodged. Police suspect personal revenge to be the motive behind the incident.

The incident was reported at a girl’s hostel in R.S. Naidu Nagar where the student was staying and pursuing her education. 

The accused entered her hostel premises in Narasimharaja Police Station limits in the afternoon when the victim was alone while her friends had gone out.

The accused sexually assaulted her and also slashed the victim’s hand with a knife. The incident came to light when the friends of the victim returned to the hostel. She was admitted to a private hospital. An FIR has been registered and investigation is underway at Narasimharaja  (NR) Police Station.

Soon after the complaint, Police teams swung into action along with the dog squad and fingerprint experts and searched the entry and exit points to the hostel for more than three hours. Based on the clues, the accused was arrested.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Pradeep Gunti led the investigation team along with DCP (Crime and Traffic) Geetha Prasanna and Narasimharaja Inspector Azaruddin.

Reacting to the incident, City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, who was in Bengaluru to attend the Dasara high-level meeting with the Chief Minister, told reporters in Bengaluru that the accused and the victim were known to each other and the accused has been arrested.

DCP Pradeep Gunti said a case under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC has been registered and it is yet to be ascertained whether it is a case of rape or an attempt to rape and teams are waiting for the victim’s statement and medical report.

The incident, however, sent shockwaves among residents of Mysuru who are worried about the safety of women in the wake of a series of crimes. Though the Police have taken security seriously and following a nudge from the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Praveen Sood, have deployed more patrolling teams along secluded spots, still people are not confident as cases of alleged rapes are being reported even under broad daylight. 

Yesterday at the R.S. Naidu Nagar hostel where the latest incident was reported, curious people climbed on their terraces to see the Police searching the area for clues. Traffic on the Ring Road was diverted and motorists talked among themselves about increasing crimes. Though the arrest of the accused came hours later, there is fear among people.