Sexual Assault, Drugs, Fines: Bengaluru Apartment Runs Own 'Justice System'

According to the police, the apartment complex, located at Doddabele in southwest Bengaluru, houses residents from different parts of the country, including students.

17 Dec 2025, 14:05 · www.ndtv.com

Bengaluru:

Police in Bengaluru have registered a criminal case against a residential apartment association and its private security contractor for allegedly bypassing the criminal justice system and handling criminal offences internally instead of reporting them to law enforcement.

The Kumbalgodu police have booked the Provident Sunworth Apartment Association and Tyco Security, the agency providing security services to the complex, accusing them of creating and enforcing unauthorised penal rules, conducting internal inquiries, and imposing fines on residents involved in alleged criminal acts.

According to the police, the apartment complex, located at Doddabele in southwest Bengaluru, houses residents from different parts of the country, including students. Investigators allege that several residents were involved in offences ranging from minor violations to serious crimes, including sexual assault, theft, consumption of narcotic substances and illegal possession of drugs within the apartment premises and nearby areas.

Instead of reporting these incidents to the police, the apartment association is alleged to have framed its own bylaws, questioned the accused internally, imposed monetary penalties, and allowed those involved to go free. The private security agency is accused of assisting the association in carrying out these actions.

Police said the practice led to the suppression of criminal cases, denial of justice to victims, and helped accused individuals evade legal consequences.

"When we received information about what was happening, we decided to register a case against them for attempting to protect those involved in crimes against women, theft and drug-related offences," said Anitha B Haddannavar, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West Division. "Such crimes should have been reported to the police. Instead, they tried to handle them internally by enforcing their own rules. The association had even framed its own bylaws under which fines were imposed. In the past few months alone, fines of up to Rs 25,000 were collected for the use of illegal substances."

Based on these allegations, a case has been registered at Kumbalgodu Police Station under Sections 211, 238, 239, 3(5) and 3(6) of the law, along with relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The matter is currently under investigation.

Police have reiterated that private associations have no legal authority to investigate criminal offences or impose penalties, and that all crimes must be reported to the police without exception.

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