Bengaluru,: A 23-year-old software engineer has been accused of raping his friend’s 21-year-old girlfriend, while the woman’s friends allegedly kidnapped the engineer and his roommate, assaulted them and demanded ransom, police said on Thursday.
The case came to light after the father of Bursu Mahendra, 23, lodged a complaint with Marathahalli police on October 28, alleging that his son and his friend Yerryboina Tarun, 23, had been kidnapped between 2.50 am and 6 am.
Mahendra and Tarun, both software engineers from Andhra Pradesh, were living together in a house in the Marathahalli area.
Father’s complaint leads to investigation
Following the complaint, Marathahalli police registered a case and launched an investigation. Using technical analysis and CCTV footage, officers identified and arrested 11 suspects, including the 21-year-old woman.
The other arrested individuals were identified as Galeti Raja Kumar, 24; Maripati Manjuanth, 23; Chingepalli Lokanath, 22; Bandlapalli Suhail, 22; Gangareddygaari Narendra Reddy, 22; Shivasubramanyam, 24; Saleem Pasha, 30; Nayeem Pasha, 31; Shabhaz, 26; and Gali Rajesh, 20.
According to police, some of the accused work in private firms, while others are students.
During the investigation, the suspects allegedly confessed to kidnapping the two men and demanding ransom, police said.
Woman alleges sexual assault
During questioning, the 21-year-old woman made a separate allegation against Mahendra. She told police that he had raped her at the house where he lived with Tarun between 1.30 am and 4 am on October 24.
The woman also alleged that Tarun had confined her in a room during the incident.
She subsequently informed her friends about what had allegedly happened. According to the police account, her friends then allegedly kidnapped Mahendra and Tarun, assaulted them and demanded ransom.
The woman’s allegations prompted police to register a second case and investigate the alleged sexual assault separately.
Two cases under investigation
Police recorded the woman’s statement and questioned Mahendra and Tarun in connection with the rape allegation. Both men were arrested, while the other suspects were arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and ransom demand.
The investigation is continuing to establish the sequence of events and the specific roles of those involved.
The case involves allegations of sexual assault, unlawful confinement, kidnapping, physical assault and ransom demands. The allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.