Bengaluru: Santhoshi, a 24-year-old college student, lived in a single room at a paying guest accommodation in Bengaluru. She paid Rs 20,000 per month for the privacy of a whole room. However, one day, she stepped out of the washroom to find a stranger lurking in her room despite having locked the door from the inside. The man claimed he was there for cleaning and had a master key, but Santhoshi had never seen him before.
It has been a week since 24-year-old Kriti Kumari was brutally stabbed to death in her paying guest accommodation in southeast Bengaluru’s Koramangala. At least five other similar PGs are located within a 2-3 kilometre radius, many of which remain unguarded and unsafe for women despite increased attention from civic officials following the recent murder.
‘Bhargavi Staying Homes for Ladies’, where Kriti lived, is in the quiet Venkata Reddy Layout, away from the city’s hustle. On the night of 26 July, a man was able to walk into the PG—just 1 km from the local police station—climb to the third floor, and drag Kriti from her room before killing her. The caretaker was briefly away for dinner, leaving the door ajar. Police said just two days before the incident, the man was let in by the security guard, who was told he was Kriti’s brother and would leave soon.
“We had CCTV and other security measures even before the incident,” said a male worker at Madhava PG in Koramangala, which is close to where Kriti stayed. A sign at the gate promised: “You are entering a secure area—AI monitoring, Guard Patrol, Protected 24×7.” However, no one was guarding the gates for nearly an hour. During that time, two men entered the premises and walked to people’s rooms without any checks.
Bhargavi PG’s address no longer appears on Google Maps. Yet, Kriti’s screams still ring loud for other residents and activists who have long advocated for reforms in PG structures and regulations.
‘Only 1,800 PGs have licence’
Bengaluru is home to lakhs of young people who stay in paying guest accommodations, with rates ranging from Rs 4,500 to Rs 8,000 for basic facilities and up to Rs 20,000 or more for luxury co-living spaces. According to the Bengaluru PG Owners’ Association, the city has over 20,000 PGs housing around 17 lakh working professionals and students.
Although the Karnataka government doesn’t have precise figures on murders or harassment complaints in PGs, activists highlight a broader issue of unlicensed PGs and those operating in unauthorised areas. Until 2023, these facilities were not regulated by any government agency, leading to rampant conversions of buildings into PGs with hefty rents and no accountability.
“It begins with rogue developers buying land and bifurcating it without necessary approvals, which is mandatory under the law,” explained Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor of Namma Whitefield forum. They then sell these sites to PG developers who often build without Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) approvals.
However, as they continued to thrive in core parts of Bengaluru like Koramangala and Whitefield, the BBMP in 2023 decided to bring these accommodations under its ambit.
The 2024 guidelines issued by Bengaluru police mandate that PG owners collect identity cards from all residents, record details of their blood relatives including phone numbers), and maintain a separate log for visitors, as per Sections 34(d) and 70 of the Karnataka Police Act. PG owners must also comply with the Karnataka Public Safety Act, 2017, by installing CCTV cameras and implementing fire safety measures. Most importantly, PG owners are required to obtain a trade licence from the BBMP.
As of now, only 1,810 PGs hold licences from the BBMP—1,022 for men and 788 for women. The remaining PGs are often cramped, housing 3-5 people in tiny rooms with poor ventilation, leading to unhealthy living conditions.
“If a fire starts in one of these, it could consume the entire layout. Authorities are irresponsibly ignoring these signs at huge risk to the residents,” Anirudhan warned.
Following the recent incident, BBMP officials have intensified efforts to identify unlicensed PGs and ensure they meet security requirements.
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‘Landlord would enter the room’
During visits to several PGs in Koramangala, ThePrint found that while many had CCTV cameras and visitor logs, security was often lax. Some PGs, like Sri Durga PG, had fingerprint sensors at the entrance, but long-term residents reported that building owners were negligent about security and also unsupervised.
Khushbhoo, a former Bengaluru college student, lived in an all-girls PG in south Bengaluru with about 200 residents. Despite having security measures like CCTV and guards, she still felt unsafe.
“Once, an enraged auto driver entered the PG because my friend made online payment instead of cash,” she recalled. The security guard was away for dinner, and the driver wasn’t stopped. “What if the person entering has a weapon?” she asked. Her complaints to the owners were ignored.
Similarly, another student living near Mount Carmel College with 10 other students in a PG where each paid Rs 7,500 monthly. “There was one woman caretaker who stayed on the ground floor,” she said, discussing the security situation in the PG. Although the accommodation had CCTV cameras in the main hall, “the landlord would come into our rooms, sometimes when we were changing clothes,” she said.
She added that she didn’t want to alarm her parents as the PG she lived in was one of the few affordable accommodations. “We were worried that we would be kicked out if we complained to the police,” she said.
After watching the horrific visuals of Kriti’s murder, Khushbhoo is still shaken. In a post on Reddit, she advised women to stay safe. “Change your lock the day you move, you don’t know who might have the extra keys and they can get in, always keep a pepper spray in a bag and one at your desk at your place,” she wrote. Her post drove other women to share their own horror stories in Bengaluru PGs.
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‘Onus can’t be solely on women’
The chilling CCTV footage of Kriti’s murder also showed her screaming for help while three other PG residents watched, seemingly helpless.
In response, police have activated the Rani Chennamma Squad, a team of trained women officers who plan to conduct daily visits and self-defence workshops for residents of PGs and hostels.
“The squad is placed in Koramangala during weekends at night as that area is the most active,” said Sarah Fathima, deputy commissioner of police (South East).
While the initiative has been appreciated, activists have argued that the onus shouldn’t fall solely on women. “This places the burden on women to be safe and defend themselves from attackers,” said Brinda Adige, an activist from Bengaluru. “What about the PG owners’ responsibility toward security measures [and] their due diligence in creating spaces that are adequately public and protected for residents?” she asked.
Khushboo’s Reddit post, now 12 days old, continues to attract comments from women sharing their shocking experiences and suggestions for staying safe. Some carry pocket knives while opening doors to take a delivery, while others keep pepper spray next to their pillows. Many want stronger enforcement and accountability from authorities.
(Edited by Prashant)