Stalker, out on bail, attacks woman during her evening walk at Bengaluru’s Sankey Lake

The police have arrested the accused identified as Mallikarjun and booked him for attempt to murder.

The woman sustained serious head injuries and has been hospitalised, the police at Sadashivanagar station that registered a case said.

In his police complaint the woman’s husband, Rajath Ramachandra, 51, said he usually accompanied his wife for the evening walks, but on January 28 he chose to stay at home. “When I reached the site of the incident I found my wife had a bleeding head injury. I rushed her to the nearby M S Ramaiah Hospital for treatment,” Ramachandra told the police.

According to preliminary investigation, the suspect reportedly did odd jobs at Palace Grounds near the Sankey Lake and roamed around the streets. The police are likely to subject the suspect to medical evaluation to understand whether he suffers from a mental illness.

“The man’s family members have indicated that he was not of a sound mind,” a senior police officer said.

“In the latest case the suspect has been booked under the serious clause of attempt to murder and an effort will be made to convince the courts to send the suspect to judicial custody,” he added.

Investigations revealed that Mallikarjun was arrested in December based on the complaint of a 27-year-old woman for constantly stalking and abusing her during her evening walks at the Sankey Lake. But the man was released on bail on account of charges not attracting a long jail sentence, the police said. The victim had filed a complaint to the Sadashivanagar police on December 13.

The man was then booked under charges of stalking and insulting a woman’s modesty. “Since the charge did not involve a stringent imprisonment the accused was released on bail,” a police officer said.