more-in A 19-year-old engineering student was sexually assaulted by a cab driver while she was alone in her house at Soladevanahalli early on Monday. The teen, a third semester student in a private college, lives with with her sister. She was roused from her sleep around 2 a.m. on Monday by insistent knocking on the door. That night, she was alone at home as her sister was out of town for a job interview. When she opened the door, a man — whom the police later identified as Sharath — barged inside. He overpowered and gagged her. In her statement to the police, she said that the intruder pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her if she shouted for help. “He then proposed to her at knife-point,” said a police officer. The girl noticed that her cellphone was within reach. She was able to dial the number of her friend Rajath, who lives nearby. “She had the number on speed dial,” the officer added. However, the intruder realised what she had done. He got enraged. He dragged her to the bedroom and sexually assaulted her. Meanwhile, Rajath tried calling her back. When he couldn’t get through, he rushed to her house with a few friends. Despite the fact that the intruder was armed with a knife, they overpowered him and called the police. The police learned that Sharath had visited a friend’s house in the locality on Sunday. He had spotted the girl in the area. After a couple of drinks, he went to her home, which was a stone’s throw away from his friend’s house. Lauding the girl’s presence of mind, DCP Commissioner of Police (North Division) Chethan Singh Rathore said that the teen had handled the situation calmly. "She dialled her friend’s mobile phone number and kept the phone on speaker mode so that he could get an idea of the situation,” he explained. The accused, Sharath, is a cab driver. He was booked for molestation, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation. He was remanded in judicial custody.

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