Karnataka police apprehended Bharath B.S, a leader of BJP Yuva Morcha and a lawyer, in connection with a reported rape case in Shivamogga district. The case was filed at Papertown police station in Bhadravati town. Bharath went missing after a complaint was filed against him, leading to a police search.
Authorities received reliable information that the accused was hiding at a friend’s residence in Bengaluru. Subsequently, a police team conducted a raid and arrested him late on Sunday night. The victim, a 23-year-old woman, was allegedly raped by Bharath, who had posed as her husband’s friend and also threatened her. The woman reported the incident to the police.
The assault took place at the woman’s home on April 11 while her husband was away, with Bharath later returning to harass her. He had initially introduced himself to the victim as a friend of her husband and had interacted with her on Instagram. Additionally, he frequently visited the couple’s grocery store, where he allegedly made inappropriate advances towards her.
On April 11, the victim’s husband informed her that Bharath would be visiting and asked her to give him money. When she was alone, Bharath purportedly assaulted her as she prepared to hand over the money. He then threatened her and fled with the cash. Later, on April 25, he returned to the shop and attempted to harass her again.
After the victim’s husband discovered Bharath had been blocked on Instagram and questioned her, she disclosed the assault. The couple then exposed Bharath’s actions by engaging with him on WhatsApp using the woman’s identity. Subsequently, they filed a complaint against him at the Paper Town Police Station in Bhadravathi.
