Dutch vlogger harassed, manhandled in Bengaluru's Chickpet; one arrested

A Dutch vlogger and YouTuber was reportedly harassed and manhandled by a man at the busy Chickpet area of Bengaluru, following which police swung into action and arrested the accused.

The video of the incident has gone viral on the social media, with people seeking strict punishment for the culprit, who is said to be a local vendor, for his misbehaviour. Following the outrage, the police arrested the accused, who has been identified as Navab Hayath Sharif.

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In the video, it can be seen that as YouTuber Pedro Mota was recording his experience in the market, suddenly a man grabbed his hand and questioned him for recording a video. Even as the foreign national initially greets the man by saying namaste and then asks him to let go of his hand, the man pushes him. Soon, Mota hurriedly leaves the spot.

Posting the video of the incident on his YouTube channel “Madly Rover” on Monday, Mota wrote, “Foreigner traveling in India experiences the thieves market in Bangalore, also known as the Sunday market or chor bazaar. But exploring the area started out on the wrong foot as an angry man attacked me by grabbing and twisting my hand and arm, lunging after me as I tried to escape. After I had some street food, met great local Indian people and haggled for a new buttoned shirt.”

Responding to a tweet seeking action against the guy who misbehaved with Mota, Bengaluru police said action has been taken and the person concerned rounded up. Strict action will be taken against him. No misbehaviour with foreign tourists will be tolerated.

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City Police Commissioner B Dayananda tweeted, “It’s an old video which has come into circulation now. The person harassing in the video has been identified, traced and action taken. No scope for such high-handedness in Namma Bangalore against anybody.”

Incidentally, this is not the first instance that a foreign national has been assaulted in India. In December last year, a South Korean vlogger made headlines after she was harassed on the streets of Mumbai by two men.