Bengaluru garment worker allegedly stalked, sexually assaulted by neighbour

Crime

The accused, Harishankar, was arrested on April 13 after allegedly barging into the woman’s home and assaulting her.

Theja Ram

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A 20-year-old Bengaluru garment worker was allegedly sexually assaulted by her neighbour after he stalked her for six months. On the evening of April 13, the woman, who is married, was returning home from work when her neighbour, Harishankar, allegedly followed her. At around 5.45 pm, the woman entered her house located in the city’s Arekere, and Harishankar allegedly barged into her home and locked the door from the inside. According to the police, Harishankar told her he loved her and that she had to marry him. When the woman turned down his proposal, Harishankar allegedly dragged her into her own bedroom, pushed her on the bed and allegedly sexually assaulted her. In her complaint, the woman said Harishankar broke two of her fingers and forced himself on her. “I tried to push him away and began screaming loudly,” the woman said, according to the complaint. Two of the woman’s neighbours heard her screams, broke open the door to her house and allegedly rescued her. “As the two men were trying to break open the door, other neighbours had gathered around the house. When they caught hold of Harishankar, the woman’s neighbours thrashed him,” the police told TNM. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment. Harishankar was arrested on April 13 and remanded to judicial custody, police said. Harishankar allegedly began stalking the newly-married woman after she moved into the house in Bengaluru with husband six months ago. The accused, who lived in a room on the terrace of the house, allegedly followed her on multiple occasions. On April 10, Harishankar allegedly knocked on the woman’s door and told her that he had run out of drinking water. When she went into the kitchen to get water, Harishankar allegedly followed her into the house. He allegedly told her that he loved her and threatened to kill her if she did not say she loves him back. “I had told my husband about this too and he had warned Harishankar. I thought he would stop,” she said in the complaint. Harishankar has been booked under sections 354(A) (wrongful confinement of a woman), 354(D) (stalking), 354(B) (sexual assault), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 448 (trespassing) and 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC.

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