The Jnanabharati police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly sexually harassing a 25-year-old city-based advocate and stealing her mobile phone in Jnanabharathi. The incident occurred on November 7, while the victim was walking her pet dog.
The accused, identified as Vignesh, working as a cleaning staff at a marriage hall, was returning home from work. He noticed the victim walking the dog in an isolated place and approached her on the pretext of petting the dog and allegedly molested the victim. Shocked, the victim pushed him and raised alarm for help.
In the melee, her mobile phone fell down.
Panicked by her reaction, the accused picked up the phone and escaped. He ran 500 metres away from the scene of crime, hid the phone by digging up the ground and covered it with mud and took shelter at an under construction house until 3 a.m. when the police reached the spot and searched for him.
After the police left, the accused slid out of his hideout and reached home in Byadarahalli. Meanwhile, the police gathered the CCTV footage, obtained his image, and with the help of local intelligence, identified and tracked him down.
The accused allegedly confessed to the crime and based on his information, the police recovered the mobile phone and returned it to the victim.
The accused has been charged with section 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 303 (theft) and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and remanded him in judicial custody.
Published – November 20, 2025 10:53 pm IST
