Pub staffer arrested for filming women in toilet, cops ask establishments to be alert

MUMBAI: The latest incident of women patrons being filmed secretly, at an Andheri pub, has prompted police to suggest that commercial establishments should keep better checks on their employees. They added women should be careful at washrooms and changing rooms in public places like malls, pubs and cinema halls.
On Sunday night, a woman who was using the mirror of the ladies’ toilet in the Andheri pub noticed a red-light blinking below the wash-basin.She found a cellphone taped on the wall, with its video-recording mode turned on. She came out and told another woman friend about it.
When the 18-year-old accused, Garibnath Ram, saw the two women discussing talking while pointing towards the toilet, he feared he would be caught and ran inside the toilet to remove the mobile phone. By then, the women told another friend about the mobile, who confronted the accused when he came out of the toilet. The two women checked the toilet and found the mobile phone was missing but the tapes were still there on the wall. The accused refused to hand over his mobile to the patrons when they demanded it and tried to run out. But he was caught and the women took his phone for examination after informing the pub management and the police. They found the phone had the recording of a woman, who had used the toilet earlier, which confirmed their doubts.
Amboli police arrested the accused under Indian Penal Code section 354 (molestation) and under section 66 of the Information Technology Act. The police produced Garibnath before a court on Monday and he was remanded into police custody.
Police said the accused, who came from Bihar three months ago and was working in the pub, had no criminal record. Police are also examining the establishment’s negligence in the incident.
Police officials said while it was unfair to blame the entire establishment for the crime of one employee, managements should take note of such incidents and adopt stringent measures to prevent them. “An establishment should have checks and counter-checks on its employees to avoid such instances. They should adopt proper mechanism to check background details of their employees and keep a watch on suspicious activities,” said Milind Bharambe, additional commissioner of police (west region).