The police arrested the owner of a Paying Guest (PG) facility in South Bengaluru on June 23 for allegedly raping a 21-year-old nursing graduate, who lives in the accommodation, after he reportedly confronted her over the theft of some jewellery.
According to the police, the man allegedly sexually assaulted her on June 21 when the woman, on being caught after stealing the rings of other residents, requested him not to report the incident to the police. The woman, who joined the PG facility on June 15, reportedly stole two diamond rings and one gold ring on June 20 before allegedly disconnecting the CCTV camera wires on her floor, said the police.
“When the theft was reported, the PG facility owner summoned all occupants and threatened to file a police complaint if the items weren’t returned. He also mentioned reviewing CCTV footage, which created a fear in the victim. So she hid one ring in another room on the same floor, and gave two rings to a friend who lives nearby,” said an officer.
According to the police, the alleged theft was exposed when one of the residents informed the PG facility owner regarding the victim’s fear over the possibility of retrieving visuals from disconnected cameras following a conversation she had with her.
On June 21, the man confronted the victim, forcing her to reveal the location of one of the hidden rings. When the ring was discovered in another resident’s room, she slapped the woman. Fearing that other guests would assault her, the man isolated the victim in a room under the pretext of conducting an inquiry, the police said.
In her presence, the man called one of the women whose rings were lost on video and instructed the victim to reveal the location of the remaining stolen items. He also informed her boyfriend in Tumakuru about the theft.
“Once the rings were found, he disconnected the call. Immediately, she fell at his feet and pleaded to let her go and not to inform the police. But the PG facility owner misused the vulnerable moment and assaulted her sexually,” a police officer said.
According to another officer, the victim did not file a complaint about the sexual assault, but called the police to the PG facility on the same day, and asked them to speak to her boyfriend to clarify that she wasn’t a thief and that there was no case against her. The police said the PG facility owner told them that there was no theft and that she was innocent, allegedly to cover up his crime.
After her boyfriend did not believe what the police told him, she visited the nearby police station the next day, on June 22, with the same request. Despite the police’s reassurances, her boyfriend maintained a distance from her, prompting her to travel to Tumakuru. “On reaching Tumakuru, she told her boyfriend that she was raped by the PG facility owner, and that he had spread the news that she was a thief to cover up his crime,” said an investigating officer.
Her boyfriend, a lawyer, then sent her to a hospital in Bengaluru for a medical examination. The hospital’s medico-legal case (MLC) report established sexual assault on the woman, based on which the police registered a case and arrested the PG facility owner.
Meanwhile, the police also recorded the statements of the residents of the PG facility who confirmed the theft of rings and the victim’s role in it. As per police records, the victim was previously involved in another theft case.