A 23-year-old IT professional has been apprehended for reportedly entering a women’s restroom at a popular mall in Kerala wearing a burqa and recording videos using his mobile phone.
The individual, who holds a B.Tech degree, has been charged under IPC sections 354(C) (Voyeurism) and 419 (Impersonation), along with Section 66 E of the Information Technology Act, all on the same day, according to law enforcement officials.
Following his arrest, he was presented before a local court, which subsequently ordered a 14-day judicial custody for the accused, as confirmed by an officer from the Kalamassery police station.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Lulu Mall where the accused, who works in a leading IT firm based at the Infopark here, wore a ‘burqa’ and entered the washroom and placed his mobile in there.
He put his phone in a small cardboard box, put a hole in it for the camera to record visuals and stuck it to the door of the washroom, it said.
After that, the suspect came out from there and stood in front of the main door of the washroom, it said.
Noting his suspicious and furtive behaviour, the mall’s security personnel informed the police who quickly reached the spot and questioned the accused, the officer said.
Questioning revealed that he had disguised himself as a woman and that he was recording the scenes in the washroom on his mobile phone, police said.
Subsequently, the burqa and the mobile phone of the accused were seized and he was taken into custody, it said.
The officer said police were investigating whether the accused has carried out such acts in the past anywhere else.
(With inputs from PTI)