The survivor's employer, originally from West Bengal and living in Bengaluru for the past eight years, accused her of stealing a diamond ring after conducting a “sting” operation at their house.
Published Nov 05, 2025 | 5:23 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2025 | 5:23 PM
Varthur Police Station in eastern Bengaluru.
Synopsis: Three police officers attached to Varthur Police Station in eastern Bengaluru have been suspended for allegedly detaining and brutally assaulting a domestic worker and her husband after she was accused by her employer of stealing a diamond ring. The case came to light when migrant workers reportedly heard the survivor’s cries from inside the station and alerted a social activist.
Three police personnel attached to the Varthur Police Station in eastern Bengaluru have been suspended for the brutal assault of a domestic worker and her husband, who had been accused of theft.
Thirty-four-year-old Sundari Bibi and her husband were allegedly detained on the morning of Thursday, 30 October, after her employer accused her of stealing a diamond ring. The couple were then allegedly beaten by police officers Sanjay Rathod, Santosh Kudari and Archana.
The incident came to light when migrant workers near the station reportedly heard Bibi’s screams and alerted city-based social activist R Kaleemulla.
“At the police station, four male and three female police officers took us to the first floor and brutally assaulted us from 9 am to 12 pm. The officers warned us not to tell anyone about the assault,” Bibi later wrote in a letter to the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC).
Taking cognisance of the complaint, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday directed the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to submit a detailed report.
A report submitted by Priyadarshini, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Marathahalli Sub-Division, on Tuesday confirmed that Bibi had been assaulted on the first floor of the police station. Disciplinary action was initiated based on the findings.
Bibi’s employer, originally from West Bengal and living in Bengaluru for the past eight years, accused her of stealing a diamond ring after conducting a “sting” operation at their house.
In her letter to the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), Bibi wrote that she found a ₹100 note while sweeping the balcony at her employer’s home. She said she picked it up—captured on CCTV—intending to hand it over to the house owner.
“However, before I could return the note, the owner saw the footage, came to me, held my hand and accused me of theft. They further alleged that a diamond ring was missing from their house and accused me of stealing it,” the letter reads.
Bibi’s employer then took her to the Varthur Police Station around 9 am. She called her husband, who works with the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as a garbage collection driver, to come to the station.
Bibi said the police officers then took the couple to the first floor of the station and assaulted them “brutally” from 9 am to 12 pm.
“I screamed for help, and some people from the nearby locality who heard my cries informed social worker R Kaleemulla about the incident,” she wrote.
The assault, Bibi said, stopped only after activist Kaleemulla confronted the officers. “Only after receiving his call, the officers stopped beating us and hid their lathis,” she wrote.
She added that they were released from the station only after 7 pm.
Following the assault, Bibi developed fever and body pain. Out of fear, she and her husband stayed inside their settlement for three days without reporting the incident.
However, when her kidney pain worsened, she was taken to Victoria Hospital. A medico-legal case has also been registered.
The incident comes just days after Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) MA Saleem issued an 18-point circular to all police personnel, directing them to treat women, senior citizens, children and victims with special care and sensitivity.
“Always act with courtesy and dignity, without using harsh language or behaviour when speaking to the public, and demonstrate firmness in enforcing the law,” the circular stated.
This is not the first time the Bengaluru police have faced allegations of custodial assault.
In August, four police personnel from MK Doddi Police Station in Bengaluru South district were suspended after a theft suspect was found dead in custody. The case was later referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
In 2021, three police personnel from Varthur Police Station were suspended for torturing 21-year-old Salman Khan, whom they had illegally detained while probing a theft case. Khan was allegedly held for several days without being produced before a magistrate and later had to have his arm amputated due to the custodial assault.
In 2016, six police personnel from Jeevan Bhima Nagar Police Station were suspended following the custodial death of a 42-year-old man. They were subsequently sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and fined ₹55,000 each.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
