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 promi.