Bengaluru woman 'kicked on chest', beaten on pavement in viral video; shopkeeper, employee jailed

A woman being brutally assaulted by a shop owner and his employee in Bengaluru.

A disturbing video of a 55-year-old woman being brutally assaulted by a textile shop owner and his employee has triggered public fury and led to the arrest of the two men in Bengaluru.

The incident, which occurred in full public view on Avenue Road, came to light after mobile phone recordings circulated widely on social media.

According to a TOI report, the accused, Umed Ram (44), owner of Maya Silk Sarees and his staff member, Mahendra Seervi (25), were remanded to judicial custody on Thursday.

This was after police registered a case against them for their violent attack on Hampamma, a native of Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh.

The chain of events began on September 21 when, as per the police complaint filed by Ram, Hampamma was seen loitering near the shop with a teenage boy before entering and stealing a bundle of sarees valued at approximately Rs 91,500.

The shopkeeper discovered the theft upon his return and identified the woman from CCTV footage but did not immediately report the incident to the police.

The situation escalated the following day, September 21, when Ram spotted Hampamma near his shop. He and Seervi apprehended her and proceeded to assault her severely.

Videos show how the woman was kicked multiple times, including on her chest and abdomen, after she fell onto the pavement. Bystanders attempted to intervene, but the assault continued and was recorded on several mobile phones.

ಆಯಮ್ಮ ಏನೇ ಮಾಡಿರ್ಲಿ ಅದನ್ನ ಕೇಳಲು ಪೋಲಿಸ್ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಇದೆ ಈತ ಯಾರು?

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ಈ ಅವಿವೇಕಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಾನೂನು ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ಒತ್ತಾಯ.

ಮಾಯ ಸಿಲ್ಕ್ ಸ್ಯಾರೀಸ್ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಅವಿನ್ಯೂ ರಸ್ತೆ ಓನರ್ ಹೆಸರು ಬಾಬುಲಾಲ್ ಈತ ಮಹಿಳೆ ಒಬ್ಬಳು ಸೀರೆ ಕದ್ದ ವಿಚಾರವಾಗಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಗೆ ಮನಬಂದಂತೆ ಹಲ್ಲೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು@BlrCityPolice… pic.twitter.com/ohRCb7j3GM

— ಕಾರ್ತಿಕ್ ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ್ l K@RTH!K Venkatesh🟨🟥 (@VKkarthik169) September 25, 2025

In one widely-shared video, the woman is seen apologising to her assailants. She reportedly stated that she had stolen the sarees to arrange money for alcohol and that the person who paid her had taken the entire bundle.

Following the assault, Ram himself contacted the police helpline. Hoysala patrol staff arrived at the scene and took Hampamma to the City Market police station, where she was arrested based on Ram's theft complaint.

She was subsequently remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
Police authorities have since stated that they were unaware of the assault at the time of her initial detention.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) S Girish was cited by TOI as saying that a case was promptly registered against Ram and Mahendra as soon as the authorities became aware of the violence on Thursday.

The duo has been charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including section 74 (assault or use of criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and section 115 (voluntarily causing hurt).

The police action was precipitated by the viral video and a subsequent protest by a group of pro-Kannada activists who gathered outside Maya Silk Sarees on Thursday evening.

The activists alleged that Hampamma had informed the police of the assault at the time of her arrest, but no action was taken against the shopkeeper until public pressure mounted. A senior officer maintained that the FIR was registered after police saw the footage on social media, before the activists had gathered.