Bangalore, December 8: The city police on Saturday arrested a junior immigration officer with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) after an Italian citizen accused him of molesting her. The official, identified as Krishna Kumar (54), is a sub-inspector of the Intelligence Bureau who was deputed to FRRO in July 2012.
He was produced in a magistrate court.
The woman, aged 27, has been living in the city since January this year on an employment visa. She was employed by a cafeteria chain based in Koramangala. When she was released from her assignment, she applied for an exit permit in the FRRO office at Shantinagar on November 7.
The victim told The Hindu that as she was unemployed, she was keen on procuring the permit at the earliest so that she could return to her country. An acquaintance gave her the number of the officer saying that he is a helpful person. She contacted the officer who identified himself as Shivakumar and asked her to meet him at HSR Layout on November 27. The victim took her two-year-old son to the meeting where the officer asked her to sit in his car before demanding Rs. 44,000 to get the work done.
“I am aware that the required fine amount is a little over Rs. 10,000. So, I explained that I could not muster up that much cash. He groped me and molested me as I sat with my son on my lap,” she told The Hindu.
The victim alleged that the man asked her to “have drinks with him” but she refused and left. Before I left, the officer told me not to tell anyone about the incident. When she came across him again in the FRRO office, she asked about her paperwork. He assured her that her paperwork would be ready soon.
However, when she found that her paperwork was not complete, she filed a complaint with the HSR Layout police on December 4.
“It was later that I found out his real name and also that there was another official named Shivakumar in the FRRO. I changed the name in my complaint and had to personally identify the officer,” she said.
The HSR Layout police registered a case under section 354 IPC against the official for outraging the modesty of a woman.
Internal inquiry
Ganesh Kumar, head of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Bangalore, said that the department would initiate an internal inquiry into the complaint. “When one of our officers questioned him, Krishna Kumar rubbished the allegations. We are taking this matter very seriously and co-operating with the police. We have moved the papers for necessary action to be initiated against the officer,” he said.
