Young woman thwarts robbery with pepper spray

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, July 20, 2014:  A gang of five persons including an auto-rickshaw driver attempted to rob a 30-year-old woman, an employee of a private firm, while she was returning home from work on Friday night, but the young woman thwarted the robbery by using a can of pepper spray.

The woman, a native of Jharkhand, used a pepper spray can she was carrying in her bag to fight back against her attackers. She managed to escape after spraying the eyes of the attackers.

The Byappanahalli police said that the young woman’s troubles unfolded after she took an auto-rickshaw at around 8.30 pm from the BEML cross in East Bangalore to go to Vignan Nagar. The driver of the rickshaw she engaged stopped the vehicle in an isolated place near Byappanahalli on the pretext of answering nature’s call. The driver returned with five men and dragged the young woman from the auto-rickshaw to an isolated place. The attackers snatched her handbag and forcefully removed gold bangles from her hands and a chain from her neck.

The victim after recovering from her initial shock fished out her pepper spray can and countered her attackers. One of the accused was blinded by the retaliation and the victim used the opportunity to flee from the scene with her gold, ATM card, a blank cheque with her signature, and also Rs 20,000 in cash.

The victim managed to return home and narrated the incident to her family members. The family informed the police control room who in turn alerted the Byappanahalli police. The police rushed to the young woman’s house and recorded her statement. A case of dacoity and molestation has been registered based on the complaint lodged by the victim.

“We have made efforts to nab the accused persons and based on some clues and we will be successful soon,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (east) N Satheesh Kumar said.