2 held for spycam in bath of Tata firm's women's hostel

KRISHNAGIRI: A woman and her boyfriend were arrested Wednesday on charges of installing a hidden camera in a bathroom of a hostel for Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd women employees in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, superintendent of police (SP) Thangadurai said in a statement.

The accused are Neelukumari Gupta (22) from Odisha, an employee of the company at its Nagamangalam facility who stayed at the women's hostel - named Vidiyal Residency in Lalikkal area - and her boyfriend Santhosh (25). The Udanapalli police arrested Santhosh from Bengaluru. The police claimed that Neelukumari had installed the hidden camera in the bathroom as instructed by Santhosh.Vidiyal Residency has 11 floors and eight blocks and provides accommodation for more than 6,000 women.

Four women were staying in each room. The camera was installed Sunday (Nov 2) in the bathroom of a room occupied by women from northern states, said ASP Shankar. Neelukumari was one of the occupants of that room. Other women staying in the room discovered the camera Tuesday and reported it to the hostel management.The discovery of the camera created tension among the hostel inmates. On Tuesday evening, more than 2,000 women residing in the hostel staged a protest.

Following this incident, Hosur additional collector Aakriti Sethi and the SP arrived at the scene. More than 100 police personnel were deployed to facilitate discussions and ensure safety. Parents of many women employees gathered outside the hostel Wednesday.

Police pacified the women and their parents. More than 200 women staying in the hostel chose to return to their hometowns with their belongings.ASP Shankar said they were checking the footage from the recovered camera. Ten police teams, comprising policewomen, were checking each room to determine whether there were more hidden cameras, he added.