Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A 37-year-old paying guest (PG) accommodation owner in north Bengaluru has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and raping a college student staying at his property. Police identified the accused as Ashraf R, a native of Kerala, who runs a PG facility for women in Soladevanahalli. The survivor, a woman in her early 20s, had moved into the PG just 10 days before the incident.
According to the FIR filed on August 2, the incident occurred around midnight on August 1.
In her complaint, the student said Ashraf approached her at the PG and told her he would provide food and accommodation only if she “cooperated” with him. When she refused, he allegedly grabbed her hand, forced her into his car, and drove her to a nearby building where he sexually assaulted her.
“On the night of 02/08/2025, around 12:41 AM, while I was sitting at our PG, Ashraf approached me and said he would provide food and accommodation and asked me to cooperate with him,” the survivor stated in her complaint. She added that she tried to send her location to a friend during the incident but was unable to do so. She said Ashraf dropped her back at the PG between 1.30 am and 2.15 am.
The woman then contacted her friends, who confronted Ashraf. Soladevanahalli police have registered a case based on the survivor’s complaint. The accused later also filed a counter-complaint claiming that he had a prior acquaintance with the woman and was assaulted by her friends. He was treated at a private hospital before being remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.
