Brokers harass techie in society

Noida: A woman staying in Supertech Capetown was allegedly harassed on Monday by real estate brokers sitting in an office inside the complex, triggering protests by residents who said they will shut down all unauthorised commercial activities on the premises.
The alleged harassment took place around 11pm on Monday when the woman, who works at an IT firm in Gurgaon, was walking from the society gate towards her home. Before she could enter her tower, three men, she said, passed “lewd” comments.
“I work in Gurgaon and it usually gets late by the time I return home. It’s a 10-minute walk from the main gate to my tower. The tower before mine has a brokers’ office on the ground floor. It was open and I saw three men sitting inside. They passed lewd comments as I was walked past. I got scared and rushed to my building and call my husband,” said the Sector 74 resident.
She added that she asked the security guard to ask the men to leave but they did not. While her husband confronted the brokers, who seemed to be intoxicated, she asked the other guards in the society to help but they refused, she said. “By the time we called the police, the men ran away. We did not file a complaint as I usually travel late at night and I am scared. The worst thing was the attitude of the guards, who did not help at all. We are sure that they will not intervene if such an incident happens again,” the woman said.
On Wednesday, the residents organised a protest against the builder and the security and maintenance team. Other women from the society also complained about similar incidents. Mauli Dubey, a resident, said, “There have been many complaints, especially related to harassment. But no action was taken by our facility manager. It is high time that the agency is changed.”
The residents have convened a meeting with the builder on Sunday. Members of the apartment owners’ association (AOA) have asked the broker’s office to be closed and demanded that men involved in the incident should not be allowed inside the society.
“We have decided that the chief facility manager will be removed for his lackadaisical attitude towards women’s safety and the security agency will be changed. All residents will be meeting the representatives of the builder on Sunday to discuss handover of the premises and changing the manager. If the builder does not cooperate, we will seek help from Noida Authority,” said Arun Sharma, AOA president, Supertech Capetown.
Supertech spokesperson said security arrangements are in place and will be improved. “Nobody is allowed to enter the premises without an ID or prior permission from residents. The guards have also been trained. If there are specific complaints, we will take action,” said a spokesperson, Supertech Limited.