Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A 26-year-old man was arrested by Bengaluru Police, on Thursday, July 10, for allegedly filming women in public spaces without their consent and uploading the footage on Instagram, presenting it in an objectionable and voyeuristic manner.
The accused, identified as Gurudeep Singh, was taken into custody by Banashankari police following a suo motu case registered after a young woman brought attention to the videos by tagging the Bengaluru City Police on Instagram. She alleged that her video had gone viral, resulting in her receiving vulgar messages online.
“This person walks around Church Street pretending to film the 'chaos', but in reality, all they do is follow women and record them without their consent. It happened to me. And I'm sure many others have no idea they've been filmed too,” she wrote in her Instagram post. “Just because my account is public doesn't mean I consent to be filmed publicly. That is not how consent works.”
The Instagram account run by the accused purported to showcase “street scenes,” but investigations revealed it was primarily focused on recording women from the front and back, often zooming in on their bodies. These clips, 45 in total according to the FIR, were posted without the women’s knowledge.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Lokesh Jagalasar, confirmed the arrest, saying, “One person who used to shoot voyeuristic pics and videos of women and post them online on Instagram has been arrested, vide a suo motu FIR registered at BSK PS.”
The FIR was registered under Section 78(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to stalking, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2008, which addresses the electronic transmission of obscene content.
Authorities are now working to take down the Instagram account in question. Police said the accused primarily operated on Church Street, a popular pedestrian zone in central Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reacted to the arrest saying, “It pains me deeply to see women being secretly filmed and harassed in public spaces, with such videos circulated online at the cost of women’s dignity. This is not the Karnataka we stand for. Many incidents have been reported in the last few days, and our government has taken immediate action against the offenders, who have been arrested. We are monitoring such activities closely.”
He also urged the people to report any such videos or accounts online by calling 1930 or visiting http://cybercrime.gov.in.
(With IANS inputs)