A horrific incident of sexual assault has been caught on CCTV camera in Bengaluru, where a man is seen flashing and attacking a woman in a narrow lane on Tuesday, 27 October.
The accused has been identified as Tata Datt.
According to the JC Nagar Police, the woman began screaming for help as Datt began assaulting her. The incident occurred at around 5.05 am on Tuesday, the police said. As the woman’s neighbours began opening their doors and windows after they heard her screams, Datt allegedly ran away.
“The woman filed the complaint yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. We procured the CCTV footage from one of the houses where the incident occurred. We were able to track the accused within one hour,” the JC Nagar Police said.
What Transpired
In the video, a 40-year-old woman, resident of JC Nagar in Bengaluru, wearing a scarf across a face, can be seen walking down the road near JC Nagar, about a kilometre away from DJ Halli in Bengaluru. The accused can be seen walking towards the narrow road, from a lane perpendicular to it. He stops in front of the woman, who stops too. He is then seen pulling down his pants as she tries to move towards the left to go past him, and blocks her path. She then takes out her slipper and threatens to hit him. Datt then lunges at her and backs her up against the wall on one side of the road.
He can be seen trying to disrobe her. The woman can be seen hitting him with her slipper and screaming.
This footage brings back memories of the sexual assault of a woman that was caught on camera on New Year’s Eve a little after midnight on 1 January 2017. In that incident too, the two men, who were on a scooter, were caught on camera as they sexually assaulted the girl. They were subsequently arrested after widespread media coverage.
Accused Is A Habitual Offender, Says Police
According to the police, one of the officers at the station, who was previously attached to DJ Halli Police Station, recognised the accused as Tata Datt alias Chotu. The officer told the investigators that during his time at the DJ Halli Police station, he had come across cases against Datt. CCTV visuals were then shared with the DJ Halli Police on WhatsApp, who identified the accused. DJ Halli Police said that Datt had several robbery cases registered against him and that he was under the list of “habitual offenders”.
The police also pulled up CCTV footage near Modi Garden, where Datt lives, and said that there were videos, where he can be seen running back home at around 5.30 am.
“We have six videos of him running back home from different locations starting from the scene of the crime. He was picked up within an hour’s time and he confessed to the crime after questioning,” the police said.
Datt has been booked under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures) of the Indian Penal Code.
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