Caught on camera: Man tries to kidnap woman in Bengaluru; arrested

She alleged that the accused took her to a nearby under construction building where he tried to sexually assault her.

The Bengaluru Police on Monday reportedly arrested a man who was caught on camera abducting a woman from outside her paying guest (PG) accommodation on April 23 while she was talking to someone over the phone.

The woman, a native of Manipur, alleged the man took her to an under construction building nearby and tried to molest her, the Indian Express reported. However, the incident was reported in the media only on Monday when a news channel aired the CCTV footage of the alleged abduction.

"Yes. We have arrested one person. His name is Akshay. He is the culprit," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Lokesh Kumar told Press Trust of India. The girl said, "strict action should be taken against him."

The alleged abduction took place around 9:49 p.m. in south Bengaluru's Kathriguppe area. Several people were seen in the video passing by the area when Akshay lifted the girl and took her away, allegedly to an under construction building in the adjacent lane.

"I started shouting, he tried to close my mouth, then I bit him to rescue myself, reacting to it he hit me, then I fell unconscious due to fear," she said, adding he abandoned her and fled the scene. "I was unconscious for about five minutes, by then he was not there. My bag and phone was there," PTI quoted her as saying.

She said the man intended to sexually assault her. "I feel this because I had bag, purse and mobile with me, he did not target them. I think his intention was to sexually assault me," she added.

The police arrived at the spot soon after the matter was reported, but the girl refused to file a complaint then. She said her family members and the PG accommodation owner asked her not to do so. "I think they did that fearing bad name for their PG," PTI quoted her as saying.

"It has been found that the police visited the spot and also asked the girl to file complaint. But, due to some reasons she has not filed complaint. If we find that policemen were negligent or did not follow the standard procedure, we will take action," the IE quoted DCP (South Division) Lokesh Kumar as saying.

Action was taken when Home Minister G Parameshwar, after watching the footage on news channels, ordered senior officials to look into the case. The owner of the PG accommodation, Manjunath, had reportedly given the footage to the news channel that first aired it, according to the daily.

A case under Sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 354A (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of Indian Penal Code was registered on Monday.