Karnataka cop arrested under Pocso after minor alleges sexual assault

2 min readBengaluruJul 6, 2026 05:36 PM IST

The accused police officer was temporarily deployed in the Uttara Kannada district following communal unrest in the area a couple of months ago. (Image generated by AI)

The Karnataka Police Sunday arrested a sub-inspector (PSI) after a 16-year-old girl in the Uttara Kannada district accused him of sexually assaulting her.

The accused, Abhinandan Gowda, was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act along with sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the complaint filed on July 4, Gowda, originally from Kanakapura taluk in Bengaluru South district, was temporarily deployed in the Uttara Kannada district following communal unrest in the area a couple of months ago.

During this period, he allegedly took the minor to a birthday celebration at a relative’s home, from where he took her to a private hotel and sexually assaulted her. The girl has stated that he continued contacting her repeatedly on her phone afterward.

After the complaint was lodged, the police examined CCTV footage from the hotel, brought Gowda in for questioning, and placed him under arrest once the evidence corroborated the girl’s account.

Last month, a sub-inspector in Bengaluru was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing minor boys under the guise of interrogation.

The incident had come to light a year after the officer allegedly took the minors to a lodge, assaulted them, and forced them to perform obscene acts, which he then recorded on his mobile phone.