A 23-year-old software engineer was allegedly filmed without her consent while bathing at her residence in Ashraya Layout, Garudacharpalya, Bengaluru, on 30 April. The Mahadevapura police have since arrested the accused, identified as Karthik, a Kerala-origin man who was reportedly staying in a rented house adjacent to the victim's residence.

How the Incident Unfolded

According to police, the victim had returned home from work and gone to bathe at approximately 9:30 pm. The accused allegedly positioned himself near the bathroom window and recorded her on his mobile phone. The woman reportedly noticed the recording in progress, screamed for help, and the accused fled the scene with the mobile phone. She subsequently lodged a formal complaint at the Mahadevapura police station, triggering an investigation that led to Karthik's arrest.

FIR and Charges Filed

Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under two sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 77 pertains to voyeurism — punishing anyone who watches or captures images of a woman engaged in a private act where she expects privacy, or disseminates such images without consent. Section 79 covers any word, gesture, act, or object used with the intention to insult the modesty of a woman or intrude upon her privacy, including stalking and inappropriate gestures. Investigators confirmed that the accused was employed at a private company in Bengaluru at the time of the incident.

Victim's Condition

Police stated that the victim, who works as a software engineer at a private firm, has been left in a state of shock and is deeply distressed following the incident. Further investigation is currently underway, including efforts to recover the mobile phone used in the alleged recording.

A Pattern of Voyeurism Cases in Bengaluru

This incident is not isolated. Bengaluru has seen a troubling series of voyeurism cases in recent months. In 2025, Swapnil Nagesh Mali (28), a techie employed at Infosys on the Electronic City campus, was arrested on 30 June 2025 after being caught recording a female colleague in a workplace washroom. An internal HR investigation reportedly uncovered videos of more than 30 women on his device. He was charged under Section 77 of the BNS and Section 66E (violation of privacy) of the IT Act.

Separately, a 23-year-old staff member at Third Wave Coffee on BEL Road was arrested after a hidden camera was discovered in the women's washroom on 25 April 2025, having reportedly recorded for approximately two hours. The recurring nature of such incidents has raised questions about enforcement, awareness of digital privacy laws, and the safety of women in both private and professional spaces in the city. With Karthik's arrest, authorities are expected to examine the full contents of the recovered device as investigations proceed.