The Karnataka Police have arrested a man, who allegedly stalked and assaulted a 21-year-old woman in Bengaluru, whom he befriended on Instagram, the police said on Wednesday.
The police said the accused, identified as Naveen Kumar N, a resident of Billamaranahalli near Yelahanka, got enraged after the woman, who works at BPO, rejected his love proposal and allegedly attacked her when she was heading with her friend on a two-wheeler from her Paying Guest (PG) accommodation on December 22.
According to the police, Naveen allegedly intercepted the woman and assaulted her brutally on the neck, back, and head at 3.20 pm and fled the place before the police arrived. CCTV footage capturing the assault has since gone viral on social media.
A police officer said, “The victim, hailing from Chikkamagaluru district, shifted to Bengaluru two years ago. She befriended Naveen Kumar on Instagram in September, and both exchanged phone numbers. The duo started conversing daily, and Naveen started proposing to her for a romantic relationship. The woman rejected his proposal.”
By then, Naveen Kumar, who had found the victim’s place of stay, used to follow her and kept requesting her for a romantic relationship. The woman rejected his request and blocked him on Instagram and his mobile number, which enraged Kumar. Then, the victim quit her job and relocated to a new PG, which again, Naveen found out, the police said.
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“During interrogation, Naveen, who manages his father’s properties, claimed that he was in a relationship with the victim and that he had given her many gifts; but recently she started avoiding him by blocking his phone number and social media account which made him confront her. When she refused to talk to him, in a fit of rage, he assaulted her,” said an investigation officer who questioned Naveen.
The police have booked Naveen under sections 74 (assault to outrage modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 76 (assault with intent to disrobe), 78 (stalking), 79 (insulting modesty), and 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and have sent the accused to judicial custody.