When Bengaluru protested over Cauvery water, this woman set 42 buses on fire just for a plate of mutton biryani and Rs 100

A 22-year-old woman who cops are suspecting may have instigated the arson attack on 42 buses of a Tamil Nadu-based operator in Bengaluru last week, was allegedly offered Rs 100 and a plate of biryani to join the Cauvery water-sharing protests.

C Bhagya emerged in the CCTV footage from the yard where the buses were parked as well as in the mobile phone videos filmed by the crew.

Bhagya stays with her parents in Girinagar, close to the KPN garage, and is a daily wager. Her mother Yellamma revealed that her daughter had just returned home around noon (on September 12) when some men known to her came over and asked her to join the protests. “They promised to give her a plate of mutton biryani and Rs 100 at the end of the day,” she said.

Meanwhile, police sources said the footage from the arson site also shows other women, but it is not clear if they played an active role in the vandalism. For Bhagya, they are almost certain. She is the only woman among the 400-odd people arrested in connection with the September 12 violence in Bengaluru.

Bhagya is currently in police custody for further questioning.