On 29th November, Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandigarh, Ram Gopal, said in a statement that Sector 17 police has arrested a 22-year-old woman and her 30-year-old friend for placing a camera in the washroom of a Girls’ PG.
#WATCH | Chandigarh: On a hidden camera found installed in Chandigarh Sector 22 girls' PG washroom, Ram Gopal, DSP, Chandigarh says, "…There is a PG in Sector 22… A girl came and complained that there was something like a camera above the geyser in her bathroom… Police… pic.twitter.com/sJvFq2B4jk
— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2023
The DSP said, “There is a PG in Sector 22. A girl approached and complained that there was something like a camera above the geyser in her bathroom. The police immediately reached the spot and recovered a web camera. An FIR was registered, and one girl from the same PG was found guilty. Further investigation revealed she installed the camera on instructions of a man living in Sector 21. Both the accused have been arrested.”
The matter came to light on 26th November when a 39-year-old woman from Fazilka, living in the same paying guest house, noticed a camera light in the washroom without switching it on. She immediately informed a friend and the house owner about the camera. The house owner further called the police, and a team responded to the complaint. Upon investigation, they zeroed in on a 22-year-old young woman living in the PG. The camera was placed near the geyser in the washroom.
Upon further investigation, the police found that the camera had been bought from the Sector 45 market. The accused woman claimed that her friend, a 30-year-old man named Amit Handa from Sector 21, blackmailed her into placing the camera in the bathroom. The accused was preparing for IELTS, while Handa is reportedly unemployed.
As per reports, the camera was Wi-Fi enabled, and both accused had access to the live feed. However, the police said there was no recording facility in the camera. The device recovered during the investigation has been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. The police have not recovered any video, but the precise details about the content will be revealed only after receiving the forensic report.
An FIR under Sections 354-C (voyeurism) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 66E (violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act, have been registered at the Sector 17 police station.
Chandigarh University MMS controversy
A similar matter came to light in Chandigarh University (Mohali) last year. In September 2022, a female student allegedly filmed multiple female students bathing and shared the videos with a male accused. Three people, including the female student, were arrested in the matter. Protests had erupted in the University, leading to a lathi charge by the police.
Further investigation revealed that the student claimed she only filmed herself and shared those videos. The matter led to political turmoil, and the Punjab CM had to ask to maintain the region’s peace. A high-level probe was initiated into the matter.
