Reddy

Outer Ring Road

Hemant Nimbalkar

Bangalore Mirror

Varthur

Prasanna Anjeneya PG

Bengaluru

Bannerghatta

Adugodi

Two days after sexually attacking a woman in her Kundalahalli Gate PG accommodation,struck again in the same area; it was as if he had absolutely no fear of the policeSerial rapist Sivarama Reddy’s arrest on Tuesday proves how difficult it is for victims of sexual violence to register complaints and how easy it is for the accused to get out of jail. Reddy, who was arrested after attacked a police party with a knife near the, got out of jail in January; and within two months, he targeted two women – both in the HAL area.In the past three years, at least 16 cases were registered against Reddy (including those of sexual assault); yet he was sent to jail only under the Goonda Act, which puts away habitual offenders for at least a year; persons convicted under the Goonda Act become eligible for bail after spending a year in jail and the case is reviewed every six months if bail is denied after the first year. Alternatively, such persons can secure conditional release and violation of the conditions can lead to a further imprisonment of at least two years.Although cases under various sections (including under 376 IPC which deals with rape) have been registered against Reddy, trial in all the cases is still awaited – both due to slow police work and an overburdened judiciary.Reddy was arrested in June 2014 after he raped a techie from Jharkhand in her PG accommodation in Electronics City.On March 2, Reddy sexually molested a 23-year-old techie from Delhi in her Kundalahalli Gate PG accommodation (BM front-paged the report on March 8). However, on March 4 – and this is the chilling bit -- he returned to the area and entered another woman’s room and sexually molested her. It was as if he had absolutely no fear of the police.Friends of the March 4 victim alleged that the police did not register their complaint. Instead, two tickets to the India-Australia match were offered to the friends. That’s not all; the victim was called to a café to discuss the case. HAL police, where the case was later registered, vehemently defended itself, saying that victims of sexual assault are seldom called to the police station. “The friends of the woman asked for the tickets when they saw it in our diary,” a police official claimed.Police officials say that Reddy may have been involved in many more cases and not just the 16 that his name figures in. One official even said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the count reaches 100. Addl Commissioner (East), however, said that the police will re-invoke the Goonda Act against Reddy and put him behind bars till the rape cases are brought to trial.Reddy, who used to be a cab driver, found his first victim when he picked up a couple as passengers. The couple was allegedly getting physical in his cab; Reddy recorded it and used the footage to blackmail the woman and allegedly raped her. A case was registered at the Anekal police station but under section 354 – outraging the modesty of a woman. The police failed to book Sivarama for rape and this emboldened him – he started targeting women knowing that a) they wouldn’t complain; and b) police wouldn’t take their complaints seriously. In fact, most of the cases against Reddy were registered for theft or extortion because complainants weren’t keen on invoking the sexual assault charge for fear of a blemish on their reputation; they only wanted their valuables recovered, said police.Sivarama found young, unmarried working women living in PG accommodations to be easy targets (and those from ‘outside’ the state even easier). They would never go to the police for fear of a blot on their characters, he would later tell his investigators.Investigators toldthat Reddy used to identify his victims carefully; he would target PGs with less or no security and usually strike in the dead of the night. Once inside the room, he would first steal whatever he could and then molest or rape the woman. He used to threaten them with gangrape – he would say that 5-6 friends of his were in the other room raping another woman and he would call them if she raised an alarm.Investigators told Bangalore Mirror that Reddy boasted to them that he needs a woman every night. If he doesn’t have a companion, he either goes to a sex worker or break into a PG accommodation.Reddy entered a room in Sri Sai Ladies PG as the door was unlocked; one of the residents had left for work in the small and another was sleeping inside. Reddy robbed the woman and then raped herReddy broke into Vigneshwara PG in Varthur and found two girls. He threatened them with a knife, robbed them and sexually assaulted them. Police have filed a charge sheet in this case.March 19, 2014Around 4 am, Reddy broke into SCN Ladies PG, attacked a resident – he first robbed her and then molested her.Reddy entered Akshaya PG and found two girls sleeping. He robbed both of them and sexually assaulted them.Reddy entered Sairam PG early in the morning and raped a girl who was sleeping in one of the roomsReddy broke into Lakshmi PG and found a PG room that was unlocked. He raped the resident at knifepoint. The woman complained to the police and identified Reddy when he was arrested; he was then sent to jail under Goonda ActOnce out of jail, Reddy again targetedat HSR Layout; he sexually assaulted a female resident and also robbed her.Reddy sexually assaulted a girl from Delhi at knifepoint. He threatened her with gang rape and asked her not to raise an alarmReddy struck a PG again, this time sexually assaulting a girl who had moved tofrom Mumbai