The duo from HSR Layout have confessed to the crime, police say.

In a swift action, the Bengaluru Police arrested two persons, accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old BPO employee in a tourist van on Saturday night.

Despite sketchy details available with the investigators, the two — Sunil (23) and Yogesh (27), natives of Chikkamagaluru, were nabbed from a house in HSR Layout where they were hiding since the alleged crime, Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh announced on Tuesday evening. The two accused were working in Bengaluru for the past three years, he added.

Yogesh was at the wheel when the incident occurred.

Raped at knifepoint

Investigations have revealed that the woman was driven around the secluded Bellandur lake area before stopping near a construction site where she was raped at knifepoint.

Only the physical description of the accused and the interiors of the vehicle helped the police in the investigation, Mr. Megharikh said.

How suspects were traced

When the South East division police started investigating the sexual assault on a 23-year-old BPO employee, they had very few leads. They started by shortlisting 40 tourist vans that operated in the area. Of these, 10 were on Hosur Road around the time of the alleged crime based on call detail records of the drivers/conductors.

Drivers/conductors of nine vehicles turned up to cooperate with the investigation. The missing duo, Sunil and Yogesh, had not reported for work since Monday. They had come to Bengaluru three years ago and worked for Shankar, who owned the van that ferried passengers on Hosur Road.

Though identification of the suspects was a laborious process, they confessed to the crime soon after their arrest, an officer said adding that they were ascertaining if they were involved in any other crime. According to an officer, the van owner will be made one of the witnesses in the case.

Police Commissioner N.S. Megharik announced a reward for the team that cracked the case.

Document verification

Police are verifying documents of the vehicle to ascertain whether it violated permit conditions. “We have sought a report from the Transport Department,” a police officer said, adding that the vehicle had not been attached to any company, but would pick up and drop passengers on Hosur Road.

A Transport Department official said that regardless of whether the vehicle had a permit, operating such a service is illegal.