He robbed schoolgirls of jewellery and abandoned them later: Police
Ravi alias Janardhanachari alias Babu, a resident of Rampur village in Hoskote taluk, had “abducted” children from Bangalore, Kolar, Hindupur and Hosur, police said.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that Ravi had also sexually assaulted a minor girl he had abducted recently. We believe he would have sexually abused many more girls and abducted several others,” Commissioner of City Police, Raghavendra Auradkar, told reporters here on Tuesday. The investigation would be more focused. A special team has been formed for the purpose, he added.
Investigators said Ravi targeted schoolgirls wearing gold jewellery and aged between five and 11 years. He would approach them, claiming to be a close friend of their parents and would offer them some gifts, among other things, investigators said. The suspect would take his victims to desolate places on the pretext of enquiring them about their address, they added.
Then he would scare the victims into removing their valuables, saying there were dacoits in the area and jewellery should be kept safely. He would then drop the victims near their houses before vanishing, investigators explained.
Sometimes, the suspect would take his victims to lodges and confine them there for a few days. He would either sell the jewellery or pledge them.
Explaining the arrest, Auradkar said two teams were formed in the wake of an increase in abduction of minor girls. “We sought information from a few lodge owners about suspicious persons seeking accommodation. A team of Madiwala police then received a tip-off about a man taking a minor girl with him. The police party rushed there and arrested the suspect,” he added.
The police chief urged parents to be cautious about sending their wards outside.
“They should ask their wards not to entertain unknown individual approaching them or seeking information about their parents or addresses,” he added.
Auradkar announced cash prize for the team members who arrested the suspect. Madivala sub-division ACP Balaji Singh will head the investigation team.
