Bengaluru: Bengaluru Police Thursday arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly recording videos of women in public places and uploading them on social media after presenting them in an objectionable manner.
The accused has been identified as Gurudeep Singh. Banashankari police arrested him after registering a suo motu case. The action was initiated after one of the women featured in a video tagged the Bengaluru Police Department on Instagram and sought action.
DCP (South) Lokesh Jagalasar stated that a person who used to shoot voyeuristic pictures and videos of women and post them online on Instagram has been arrested, based on a suo motu FIR registered at the Banashankari police station.
The FIR was registered a couple of weeks ago. Police are currently in the process of taking down the accused’s Instagram account, he said.
According to police, the accused had been uploading videos of women recorded in public areas like Church Street, without their consent.
A young woman, who claims to be one of the victims, took to Instagram to share her experience, sparking widespread outrage.
The Instagram account, which claimed to showcase “street scenes”, contains videos of women taken without their knowledge, often zooming in on their bodies.
One woman who reported the incident said she began receiving vulgar messages after a video featuring her was uploaded. She said that having a public Instagram profile or simply being in a public space does not amount to giving consent to be filmed.
The accused has been booked under Section 78 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The FIR states that the accused used to film women from the front and back in public places and uploaded 45 such videos on Instagram.
“By doing so, the accused has violated the privacy of women and harmed their dignity,” the FIR says. Further investigation is on.
IANS
