Bengaluru: Man arrested for secretly filming women, posting videos online without consent

A man who has been operating an Instagram account for posting 'voyeuristic' photos and videos of women on social media without their consent has been arrested after a student's video went viral on Instagram, raising concerns about the same.  

The account in question had been sharing video clips mostly shot on Church Street, a bustling commercial and pedestrian hub in central Bengaluru. These videos often featured women walking in public, many of whom seemed unaware or visibly uncomfortable when filmed.  

'Man makes videos without permission'

The issue came to public attention when a woman, who is a student in Bengaluru, raised concerns and shared her ordeal on Instagram. The woman claimed that she had been filmed without her knowledge or permission while walking in the city. She expressed alarm over the video being shared online and revealed that her efforts to have it taken down, including reporting it through Instagram's built-in complaint system, had failed. 

In her post, she said, "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. Just because my account is public doesn't mean I consent to be filmed publicly. That is not how consent works."

She further alleged that the video of her has gone viral, and people are sending her vulgar messages. She has also tagged Bengaluru City Police and Cybercrime, appealing for help in getting the video taken down.  

Man used to shoot voyeuristic pics and videos of women

After the girl's post went viral, the police came into action and arrested the accused. Bengaluru South DCP Lokesh Jagalsar said that taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, an FIR was registered two weeks ago. "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 a couple of weeks ago," said the CDP.

The case was filed under Section 78(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to the offence of stalking, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2008, which deals with the publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form.  

Siddaramaiah reacts 

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that it pains him deeply to see women being secretly filmed and harassed in public spaces, with such videos circulated online at the cost of women’s dignity, assing that. "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. We must ask ourselves: where is our society headed if women cannot walk freely without fear of voyeurism or harassment? Such acts are crimes and betray our values as a society.

To the women of our state: we stand with you. Your safety and dignity are our priority, and we will act firmly against such crimes. I urge every citizen: if you come across such videos or accounts online, please report them immediately to the cyber cell by calling 1930 or visiting http://cybercrime.gov.in. Let us all work together to build a Karnataka where every woman feels safe, respected, and free," he added.

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