The Sadashivanagar police in Karnataka's Bengaluru have arrested a staffer of a popular coffee shop named 'Third Wave' after a woman found a hidden camera placed in the ladies' toilet of the outlet, said the police.
According to the police, the arrested employee, identified as Manoj, is a resident of Guttahalli in Bengaluru.
"Manoj had been working at 'Third Wave' outlet located on the BEL road for the last six months", the police told Deccan Herald. Meanwhile, after the incident came to light, he was sacked by his employer, the police added.
The police also stated that further investigation was underway into the matter.
The incident came to light through a post on social media platform, Instagram.
A user named Siddharth (@SidKeVichaar) posted a screenshot of the Instagram of a story by woman with username 'gangsofcinepur' on Saturday.
“I was at a @thirdwavecoffeeindia outlet in Bengaluru this morning, and this is what happened: A woman found a phone in the washroom, hidden in the dustbin, with video recording on for about 2 hours, facing the toilet seat. It was on flight mode so that it makes no sound, and was carefully hidden in the dustbin bag which had a hole made in it so that only the camera is exposed,” the Instragram story read.
“It was quickly found that the phone belongs to one of the men working there. The police was called and they arrived soon enough, and action is being taken", it further added.
The woman went on to urge people to be 'vigilant' while using washrooms in public outlets.
"This was so horrific to witness. I will be vigilant at any washroom from now on, no matter how well-known the chain of cafe or restaurant is. And I request all of you to do the same. This is absolutely disgusting", the woman wrote.
Subsequently, 'Third Wave' outlet responded to the post and stated that the person concerned with the incident was fired from the outlet.
“We regret the unfortunate incident at our BEL Road outlet in Bengaluru and want to emphasize that such actions are absolutely unacceptable at Third Wave Coffee. We acted swiftly to address the situation by immediately terminating the person & ensuring the safety of our customers", the post read.
The police, meanwhile, have registered a case against the arrested staffer under Section 77 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Section 77 of the BNS deals with the act of voyeurism such as watching, capturing, or disseminating private images of a woman without her consent. The punishment, on being convicted, includes imprisonment for not less than one year and may extend to three years, along with a fine.
