The fourth installment of the real crime documentary series, Beast of Bangalore Indian Predator, will be published on Netflix on December 16, 2022. Ashwin Rai Shetty wrote and directed the show, and Samaira Kanwar, Vatsala Aron, and Niharika Kotwal executive produced it.
The three-part docuseries lasts around 42-52 minutes. It examines the narrative of a deadly predator on Bangalore’s streets, lurking in the shadows and making women feel insecure, who transformed the city’s whole environment.
The series’ previous documentaries included The Butcher of Delhi, The Diary of a Serial Killer, and Murder in a Courtroom.
The story begins in 1996, when a young lady is slain amid brutal assaults, sending tremors across Chitradurga. A frenzied investigation yields an unexpected suspect. It all started on November 13, 1996, with an assault and robbery case involving a female government employee returning home through the lonely farmlands.
The woman was entirely stripped naked, including the jewelry she was wearing on her ears and nose. Due to societal embarrassment, the woman only filed a report for robbery rather than assault. Ripping someone’s earlobes and nose was inhumane even for a robbery.
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This episode leads to further similar attacks and heinous acts, culminating in the death of a little girl. This is when the police get involved and thoroughly examine the instances to determine who is to blame. From accusing children from wealthy homes to shifting the investigating police inspector, the culprit was not easily detected until one lucky victim, rescued by a hair, identified him.
Umesh Reddy’s name was Umesh Reddy, and he wasn’t far from the system, since he was a policeman in training. In the series, we come to know about him and his history, which shows an abusive father and a tendency of stealing, since he was a youngster. But the oddest thing was that he collected and wore women’s clothing, particularly underwear.
The documentary delves into the timeline of his crimes and how he committed them, as told by the cops who were at the forefront of the inquiry.
But we never find out why Umesh committed these acts. We never learn about his motivation or mental state while conducting the acts.
We are more concerned with how he did it, the condition of the victims when they were discovered, and the devastation experienced by their acquaintances. Although the producers attempt to portray a narrative in which they are not attempting to sensationalize the crime, in reality, they are.
What should have been an investigation of the criminal and his motivations becomes a news special about the few police officers who worked to put him in jail.
This instance demonstrates how criminals have no fear of the law and may operate freely. While the victims must consider their reputation, what society will say, and so forth. Even though Umesh was renowned for fleeing the police under the guise of being unwell or needing a bathroom break, they would fall for his reasons and let him go time and again.
In conclusion, the Beast of Bangalore is an Indian Predator.
This story has to be the one in the Indian Predator series that makes us wonder about police accountability and how the law is least severe on true offenders. The series appears to be missing in terms of knowledge and research, whether owing to a lack of informants or individuals unwilling to share their stories.
Instead of presenting the rawness and warped psyche of what makes him a beast, they continually display the horrible image (recreated) of a dead victim for shock effect.
What particularly annoyed me was the fact that the Police inspectors and even journalists thought the aspect of his wearing women’s underwear absurd, more than the sexual attacks on the actual ladies. It demonstrates how common such crimes are, and how nonchalantly we accept them until someone is found dead.
The film Beast of Bangalore: Indian Predator is presently available on Netflix.
