Bengaluru: Apartment association in the dock for collecting Rs 3L fines for crimes

Bengaluru: The Kumbalgodu police have registered a case against the apartment owners’ association of a residential complex near Doddabele in western Bengaluru for allegedly collecting fines from residents indulging in criminal activities and for hushing up the offences.

The FIR named Provident Sunworth Apartment Owners’ Association; Tyko Security Services, the firm offering security services to the apartment premises; managing director and staff of Tyko Security Services; Chandrahasa, the chief security officer, and the president, secretary, treasurer and unnamed members of the association.

DH has reviewed a copy of the FIR, filed suo motu by the police on December 16, following a petition by a whistleblower, who requested anonymity. 

According to a police statement, the association, by misusing its byelaw, collected fines — a total of Rs 3.30 lakh in three months — from those residents engaging in criminal activities like drug consumption and illegal substance use, theft and even serious offences like sexual harassment.

The association is further accused of letting the culprits go scot free, hiding such offences from the jurisdictional police.

Police officials said the security agency was hand-in-glove with the association, and hence, its officials were also booked.

The security agency is accused of unlawfully questioning the residents, collecting the fines and letting them go. 

The FIR noted that Chandrahasa, the security officer, without any permission, entered the apartments, searched them, seized narcotic substances, collected fines and later destroyed the seized drugs.

As per the FIR, the association has been collecting fines from residents for even minor issues since June 2023. The security agency which collected the fine in some cases wired the amount to the association bank account.

“The association has been collecting fines of Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 for trivial issues like wrong parking, plucking flowers, etc.” Anitha B Haddannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West, told DH. 

“However, in the last few months, they have issued fines to residents, especially students, ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 for offences like illegal substance use. We have information that fines were collected in cash in some cases and through UPI in other cases. When such offences occur, they should’ve informed the police, which they haven’t done,” the DCP added.

In one of the incidents, the security in-charge, following instructions from the association, illegally collected some fines from the mother of a suspect booked in a drugs case and forced them to vacate, as per the FIR. Police also found that the association had set up SOPs and guidelines outlining the fines of specific offences and handing them to the security agency for enforcement. 

Kumbalgodu police have invoked BNS Sections 211 (Omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it), 238 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 239 (Intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform) against the suspects.

Relevant sections under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were also invoked, the police said. Multiple calls from DH to Viswanath JS, the president of Provident Sunworth Apartment Owners’ Association, which is being investigated, went unanswered.