Karnataka student gives PG 1-star review on Google over insects in food, gets beaten up by owner

According to the police, a case has been registered against the PG owner and his associates after the victim filed a complaint. (Representational image: Grok)

An 18-year-old engineering student was allegedly assaulted by a group of five individuals, including the owner of a boys' PG (paying guest) accommodation here, police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Kadri police station on March 17 around 10.30 pm, they said.

Vikas, a native of Kalaburagi, had been staying at the PG accommodation for the past six months before shifting to another place, police said.

According to the complaint lodged by Vikas, he had posted a negative review on Google, giving the PG a single-star rating and highlighting issues such as the presence of insects in the food, poor hygiene, and unclean toilets.

Following the review, the PG owner, Santosh, allegedly threatened Vikas and demanded that he delete the comment. When Vikas refused, Santosh, along with four others, allegedly assaulted him and forced him to remove the review from Google.

A case was registered against the PG owner and his associates on the complaint of the victim, police said, adding that further investigation is underway, news agency PTI reported.

Delhi student's dream is to 'become a PG owner in Bangalore': Internet approves 'business idea'

In related news, earlier this month, a Delhi student won hearts and evoked laughter (along with some painful memories) on X after she mused that her dream job was to own a paying guest house in Bengaluru. While X users pointed out that it would be a business and not a job, almost all of them agreed that it was a lucrative idea as the IT capital continues to grapple with skyrocketing rents and property prices while attracting a flood of migrant workers.

"My dream job is to become a PG owner in Bangalore, do nothing, get a whooping rent at the end of every month and not return the security deposit," BTech student Monalika Patnaik wrote. Her post struck a chord with users and it garnered about 5.5 lakh views.

It also prompted several X users to share their own experiences with such PGs where their security deposit was never returned.

"Forget startups, the real unicorns in India are Bangalore PG owners; there is zero investment, infinite returns, and no refunds. Legendary business model," Mayank Kulshrestha (@mayankkul6) commented.

"So is for many others who have been fleeced in security deposit while renting house or being at a pg!! Bangalore style of security deposit is money never returned," wrote RB (@sunder_roma). "You did not have to remind me of my lost money," added Vanshita (@yourswriterly). Another user Pallavi Pandey (@pallavipandeyy) added, "Not returning the security deposit is so real!"