Bengaluru Police have arrested a delivery executive after a woman alleged that she was sexually harassed at a mall in the city while celebrating Christmas with friends.
The incident occurred around 9.30 pm on December 25, amid the festive rush at the Mahadevapura mall.
According to the police, the accused reportedly behaved indecently and intentionally touched the woman inappropriately in full view of the crowd.
Following the incident, the woman lodged a complaint at the Mahadevapura Police Station. After conducting a preliminary inquiry, the authorities arrested the accused, identified as Manoj Chand, 27, a native of Guwahati who was working in Bengaluru as a delivery executive.
Police confirmed that Chand was taken into custody and was being questioned further as part of the ongoing investigation.
In another similar incident, three youths were arrested on December 24 for allegedly stalking and harassing a woman riding a two-wheeler from Jayanagar Metro Station towards BTM Layout.
The accused included an 18-year-old garage worker and two 19-year-olds employed at a chicken shop.
According to reports, the woman, who identified herself as an actor on her social media profile, stated that the trio followed her from a secluded stretch onto a main road, making her feel unsafe.
The woman recorded the episode on video, which was widely circulated online.
The video showed the accused attempting to cover their vehicle’s number plate while fleeing, but the woman managed to capture a short clip highlighting their deliberate actions.
Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered at SG Palya Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
All three accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has announced extensive security arrangements in Bengaluru for the upcoming New Year celebrations.
Officials expect over 10 lakh people to gather across the city, and around 20,000 police personnel and officials have been deployed to ensure the celebrations remain peaceful.
Parameshwara outlined detailed arrangements, including 14,000 personnel for law and order maintenance, 2,500 for traffic management, and 88 Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons, along with City Armed Reserve units and Cobra bike squads.
Special emphasis is being laid on women’s safety, crowd management, and monitoring activities of anti-social elements, with measures such as drone surveillance, CCTV cameras, watch towers, and vehicle checkpoints being implemented.
Authorities have also introduced a “heatmap” system to identify areas with high crowd density in real time and issued advisories to bars, pubs, restaurants, and malls to strictly adhere to operating timings.
Ambulances and fire tenders have been positioned at crowd-heavy locations, and sufficient transport arrangements have been made to ensure safe dispersal of people during night hours.