People in and around Bharala hamlet near Meerut are scared and panicked after a series of strange attacks on women by a “half-naked” or “nude” man coming out of nearby fields. The police in the area have started a huge hunt, but the offender is still on the loose. Villagers say that at least four similar occurrences have happened in the past several weeks.
The most recent attack was on August 30, when a man who came out of a sugarcane field and seized and hurt a woman on her way to work. Her shouts woke up the driver and conductor of a school bus, who ran to help her. This made the attacker run away. The victim got away with injuries and was traumatized by what happened.
Police say that another identical event happened on August 25. At first, the police only had reports of two attacks, but some villages say that there have been four, and many of them haven’t told anyone because they are afraid or ashamed.
Police Investigation and Community Action
The Meerut Police have sent out several special teams to find the person responsible for the escalating hysteria. They have also employed drones to look at the thick sugarcane fields and put up CCTV cameras on important roads. Plainclothes female police officers have been sent to patrol the area to keep women safe and try to catch the perpetrator.
Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada said that a case has been filed against someone whose name is not known and that the investigation is still going on. As of Sunday, though, no one has been arrested. Police have not ruled out the likelihood that the attacker is mentally unstable, but they are still following all leads.
People in Bharala and other villages are on high alert, and many women are staying home alone. Rajendra Kumar, the leader of the village, said that there is a lot of dread in the area and that people are eagerly waiting for the police to catch the suspect and make the area feel safe again.