Recently discharged Maharashtra mental health patient attacks woman in city

Bengaluru: In an incident on Sahakar Nagar Road in northeastern Bengaluru, a 43-year-old woman was brutally attacked on Thursday evening by a man reportedly suffering from mental health issues.

The victim, Sunitha, was walking alone when she was suddenly assaulted by Gopal, a man in his 30s from Maharashtra, who allegedly smashed her head with a heavy object.

An investigator in the case told DH that the unprovoked attack occurred around 6.30 pm on the bustling 60 Feet Road, leaving passersby horrified as Sunitha collapsed on the spot.

Bystanders rushed her to a nearby private hospital, where she remains in a critical condition in the ICU.

A viral video, though unverified by DH, shows concerned onlookers shouting in Kannada: "Hidkoli hidkoli, bidbedi avna" (catch him, don’t let him go) as they chased Gopal down. The crowd eventually managed to tie him to a tree until the police arrived to arrest him.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as Gopal casually walked away from the attack.

“We questioned him in every possible way, but he didn’t give any comprehensive answers. We then contacted his home and found out that he had fled from there a few days ago,” the officer quoted previously told DH.

Gopal, who had been wandering in the city for days, reportedly fled from home in Maharashtra after a painful breakup that led to his mental health issues. “He has been roaming in the city for many days now, but he was not seen in Kodigehalli limits,” the officer said.

His parents confirmed to the police that he had been receiving treatment and had recently been discharged from the hospital. "It is unclear what triggered the attack. We are yet to establish the probable motive,” the investigating officer added.

Sunitha, originally from Andhra Pradesh and a resident of Amruthahalli in northeastern Bengaluru, is a homemaker and a mother of two children, aged 14 and 18.