Bengaluru techie jumps gate to flee stray dogs, residents seize phone, brand him a thief

Bengaluru techie said he repeatedly requested them to either check their CCTV footage or call the police, but they declined.

A software engineer working in Bengaluru took to Reddit to share a harrowing incident that unfolded in HSR Layout, when he was allegedly chased by a pack of street dogs and was forced to jump a residential gate for safety, only to be accused of theft by the residents.

The techie, who hails from North India and currently lives in the city for work, said the chase began while he was walking home late at night.

The techie, who hails from North India and currently lives in the city for work, said the chase began while he was walking home late at night. Cornered behind a parked car, he had to make a split-second decision: jump over the car or enter a gated building compound. Opting for the latter to protect himself, he said he scaled the gate and landed inside.

Read his full post here:

Chased by dogs in Bangalore, jumped into a building, got treated like a thief
by u/NoShitSheerluck in LegalAdviceIndia

What followed, according to his Reddit post, was unexpected. Within seconds, three residents, a man in his 60s, a woman he presumed to be the man's daughter, and another woman, came out and confronted him.

Despite apologising and explaining that he was being chased by dogs, the residents allegedly refused to believe his account.

“They said, ‘Even if dogs were chasing you, why trespass? We don’t care about your situation,’” the techie recounted in the now-viral post.

In a bid to prove his identity and intent, he reportedly handed over his PAN and Aadhaar numbers, his address, and even showed his company profile. But the residents allegedly confiscated his phone, saying they would return it only after verifying his story the next morning.

The techie said he repeatedly requested them to either check their CCTV footage or call the police, but they declined. “For almost 30 minutes, they kept my phone while I stood there feeling completely helpless,” he wrote.

Eventually, a neighbour was called to review the CCTV footage, which reportedly confirmed his version of events. Only then was his phone returned.

The incident left the tech professional shaken. “I was in a life-threatening situation with dogs chasing me, but instead of empathy, I got treated like a criminal,” he wrote.

Citing Sections 81 and 97 of the Indian Penal Code, which permit entry onto private property to avoid danger, the Reddit user questioned the legality of the residents’ actions, especially the seizure of his phone without police involvement, which he said could amount to wrongful confinement of property under Section 403 IPC.

HT.com could not independently verify the claims made by the Reddit user.