Bengaluru, TNI Bureau: A disturbing incident unfolded in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, as a Dutch vlogger filming for his YouTube channel found himself being bullied in a local market. The incident, which was recorded on camera and has since gone viral, saw the vlogger escape unharmed but shaken by the encounter.
The vlogger, Pedro Mota, known as “ipedromota” on Instagram, was exploring Chickpet Bazar, also known as Chor Bazaar, while documenting his experiences. As he made his way through the bustling lanes, a man unexpectedly grabbed his hand. In response, Pedro greeted him with a “namaste,” but the man retorted, “Kya namaste? Yeh kya hai?” (What is namaste?).
Despite Pedro’s request to let go of his hand, the man persisted, leading to a shaky and tense moment captured on video. Moments later, visibly shaken, Pedro managed to break free and informed his audience that the person had attempted to break his finger.
The video, titled “Attacked at The Thieves Market in India,” depicts Pedro’s unfortunate encounter at the Sunday market or chor bazaar in Bangalore. It quickly gained traction on social media, with many users tagging the Bengaluru City Police, urging them to take action.
However, it has been discovered that the incident actually occurred in March earlier this year, although the video was only posted the day prior to its viral spread. The Bengaluru City Police Commissioner confirmed the timeline, stating that the identified individual seen harassing Pedro in the video had already been apprehended and appropriate measures taken. The police officer further emphasized that there is no tolerance for such aggressive behavior in Naamma Bengaluru (Our Bengaluru) against anyone.
The person responsible for the harassment, identified as Navab Hayath Sharif, was arrested under Section 92 of the Karnataka Police Act.
Unfortunately, this is not the first instance where foreigners have faced harassment from locals. In a similar incident last year, a Korean YouTuber was subjected to eve-teasing while live-streaming in Mumbai’s Khar area. Two individuals, Mobeen Chand Mohammad Shaikh and Mohammad Naqeeb Sadrealam Ansari, had approached the woman, urging her to get into their car. When she politely declined, one of them attempted to kiss her.
Mumbai Police promptly arrested the two individuals under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to assaults or the use of criminal force against women.