Bengaluru: Sadashivanagar police have arrested an employee of a coffee shop in Bengaluru after a mobile phone with video recording switched on was discovered in the ladies’ washroom. The arrested is Manoj, 23, a resident of Guttahalli in the city and a native of Shivamogga.
Manoj worked at the outlet of Third Wave Coffee on BEL Road for six months, a police officer told DH. He was subsequently sacked by the outlet.
“The phone is being analysed,” the officer said. “Further investigation is on.”
The incident came to light on Saturday following a social media post.
Siddharth (@SidKeVichaar) posted a screenshot of the Instagram of a story by 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.
This was so horrific to witness. I will be vigilant at any washroom I use 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.”
Responding to the post, the outlet posted on X that the person concerned was terminated.
“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.
Police have registered a case under Section 77 (voyeurism) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Published 10 August 2024, 19:56 IST