Netflix is not sparing any effort in producing some never-seen-before spine-chilling films as well as web series based on real-life incidents. The most recent one is Indian Predator: Beast of Bangalore, which has been the talk of the town ever since its release.
Indian Predator: Beast of Bangalore is based on the crimes committed by Umesh Reddy. The accused used to rape and murder several women in Karnataka in the 90s. The shocking part is that Umesh was a former cop, a former CRPF and DAR trainee. He confessed to raping and killing 18 women and was also convicted in nine cases.
Though the Karnataka High Court sentenced Umesh to death in 2009, the Supreme Court further upheld the decision in 2011. However, following a mercy petition in 2022, the court commuted his death sentence to a 30-year sentence.
Netflix's latest instalment heads south to Karnataka, where a man named Umesh Reddy used to attack the houses of single and widowed women. Under the guise of looking for drinking water or a place to rent, he broke into their homes. He would rape, murder, and torture his victims. Then, to make it appear like a theft, he would flee with their jewellery and other valuables. In addition, he would steal the victim's lingerie. When people got awareness regarding the incidents, they got grills intalled outside their doors for safety.
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The Indian predator serves as a sombre reminder of how the legal and judicial systems failed to adequately compensate Umesh Reddy's victims. Even if a woman does speak up, she is still responsible for proving the crime, and any justice she receives will come at the expense of suffering at the hands of defence attorneys.
According to reports, Umesh confessed to nearly 20 crimes, but was found guilty of only nine of them due to a "lack of evidence" in the remaining cases.
One of the journalists featured in the documentary claimed that patrolling was still rather basic in the 1990s. This, along with the "patriarchal perspective" of the legal system, which admitted only those instances where a woman's modesty was truly offended, led to our collective failure.
In my opinion, it is terrifying to think that this man, who is accused of horrible violence against women yet maintains his innocence, could be walking around on our streets in another ten years.