Woman sexually harassed, robbed in Bengaluru PG

A BESCOM woman officer in Bengaluru was threatened with a knife, sexually harassed, and robbed in her PG room by an unidentified man. Police have launched a manhunt, amid recent similar crimes involving PG owners accused of sexually assaulting residents

Bengaluru: A shocking incident was reported from the Yelahanka police station limits in Bengaluru on Wednesday, where a robber threatened a woman officer staying in a paying guest (PG) with a knife, sexually harassed her, and then robbed her.

Following the woman officer’s complaint, police have launched a manhunt for the accused.

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According to police, the victim works as an assistant engineer with the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and had moved into the PG in Judicial Layout just 15 days ago.

On August 11, she returned to her room on the third floor of the PG after work. After hearing a knock at her door, she unsuspectingly opened it, assuming it was PG hostel staff.

As soon as she did, a knife-wielding robber barged into the room, held the knife to her neck, and sexually harassed her. The robber attempted to snatch her jewellery, but when the victim resisted strongly, he grabbed two mobile phones lying on the bed and fled from the spot.

Police have recorded her statement and collected CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the robber. More details are yet to emerge regarding the incident.

Recently, the Bengaluru Police arrested a PG owner, Ashraf, for allegedly raping a student. The police stated that the accused ran a PG at Soladevanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The victim college girl, had joined the PG recently, and the accused had taken her out in his car to an isolated place and committed the crime. On June 25, an incident of a nursing student allegedly raped by the owner of PG accommodation after she confessed to a theft was reported.

The police later arrested the accused. The arrested person was identified as 35-year-old Ravi Teja Reddy, the owner of the PG facility. According to police, Reddy raped the 21-year-old woman after she admitted to stealing three gold rings from another girl residing in the same PG.

The victim, a nursing graduate from Andhra Pradesh, had joined the PG only a week before the incident and was searching for a job, police said.

Investigations revealed that the victim had allegedly stolen three gold rings from another PG inmate. She had also disconnected the CCTV camera wire during the theft. However, she asked another inmate whether the CCTV footage would still be recorded despite the wire being cut. This conversation was shared with Reddy, which raised his suspicion about the nurse.

In her complaint, the victim stated that Reddy initially touched her private parts under the pretext of checking her. When she resisted, he allegedly raped her.

The victim also said that Reddy later threatened her not to reveal the incident to anyone. It was only after her friends came to her support that she gathered the courage to file a complaint.