Jayanagar: Posh but unsafe neighbourhood

Despite being touted as a well-developed locality, Jayanagar is not safe.

Residents complain about rising thefts and harassment of women.

Anupama Kulkarni, of Jayanagar 4th Block, said: “I was going home from work at 9.30 pm. A man driving a car stopped by on the pretext of asking for directions. He asked me where is solutions and I was aghast. Though I walked away, I can never forget this incident.”

She added: “The situation is bad especially as the weekend approaches. Earlier, I used to see Hoysala keeping a watch. Nowadays, I do not see it.”

Alpha Priyanka and her husband, from 9th Block, experienced burglary attempts.

“We experienced theft attempts in our house twice where robbers tried rob through the windows. Though we do not keep anything near the windows, these attempts have shaken us. We have reported it to the police,” she said.

One of the factors for the increasing number of such cases is the rampant opening of paying guest digs, says Nagaraju B, a local shopkeeper.

“This locality is known for its maintenance. But over the past few years, there has been a steady increase in PG digs. An increase in migrants may be one of the reasons for the lack of safety,” he said.

Another factor may be the mushrooming commercial establishments, said Preethi Cariappa, another resident. “This area is slowly following in the footsteps of Indiranagar and Koramangala. Commercial establishments are rampant in residential areas. This has led to the cropping up of many pubs and bars in the locality,” Preethi said.

K Annamalai, DCP (South), said: “We are aware of these incidents and are tracking the criminals. There has been a decline in these activities of late, as we have posted police officers at strategic locations.”