28-year-old Gym trainer, involved in 11 cases of sexual assault, Arrested

Gym trainer, involved in 11 cases of sexual assault, held
There, a man suddenly grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth to keep her from screaming and dragged her to the side of the road.

A 28-year-old gym trainer, who has allegedly been found involved in 11 cases of sexual assault in Chandigarh, has been arrested. The accused was tracked following verification of nearly 1,000 white Activa scooters across the Tricity, one of which he used in the crime incidents while sexually assaulting women, police said.

The accused was sent to judicial custody. However, later on Wednesday, he was taken on production warrant, in a separate FIR.
The accused, identified as Sawan Bhatti, holds a BSc degree in computer science and works at a gym in Mohali. He resides with a live-in partner in Chandigarh.

Sarita Roy, SHO, police station at Sector 17, Chandigarh said the accused has been involved in a series of sexual assault incidents.
In May, a complaint was received from a young woman from Sector 16. She said she was sitting alone in a park in Sector 16-A at around 10.30 pm on May 19, when the power went out. Thus, she decided to leave while on a phone call with a friend.

There, a man suddenly grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth to keep her from screaming and dragged her to the side of the road.

The accused then asked her to hand over her gold chain. When she revealed she had nothing valuable, he threatened to kill her and proceeded to sexually assault her, according to the complainant.

The victim’s friend heard her scream on the phone call, who then raised an alarm. The victim then approached the police with her parents, who lodged an FIR at the Sector 17 police station. While investigating, police learnt of a similar case being reported at the Sector 11 police station on June 10.

“On the basis of two complaints, we started probing the matter by scrutinising the CCTV footage of various areas, where we found that the accused was riding a white-coloured Activa. Noting the specifications like missing rear-view mirrors and a specific type of helmet, we began tracing the vehicle. Nearly 1,000 similar white scooters across the Tricity were verified in six weeks to trace the accused,” Roy added.

On July 1, police officers noticed a Honda Activa with features matching those captured in a CCTV camera at the Sector 23 light point. A coordinated operation, led by the district crime cell, led to Bhatti’s apprehension at the Sector 16/23 dividing road. The complainant from Sector 16 identified the accused that led to his arrest. Subsequently, medical examination of both the victims were conducted.TIE

JKNEWS NATION

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