Day after suspension, govt staff held for planting spycam in ladies’ washroom

Ashis Senapati

Kendrapada: A govt employee working in the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) office at Saanra Chowk under Tirtol police station in Jagatsinghpur district was arrested on Sunday for placing a spy camera in March and secretly filming inside a women’s washroom in the office. The district collector on Saturday suspended the accused from his job on this charge.

The arrested man has been identified as Sanjay Adhek, 35, junior revenue assistant, DRDA, Jagatsinghpur. The matter came to light on Thursday when a woman employee, while using the washroom in the zilla parishad section within the DRDA office, spotted the hidden camera and immediately alerted officials.

Girija Shankar Mallick, the assistant executive engineer of DRDA, lodged an FIR with Tirtol police station on Thursday and charged unidentified persons with secretly installing a spy camera in the washroom. Acting on the complaint, the police formed a team with technical assistance from the district cyber cell to investigate the case. The team conducted an extensive investigation involving examination of CCTV footage, forensic analysis of the electronic device, collection of digital evidence, verification of technical records, examination of witnesses and interrogation of office personnel.

During investigation, sufficient incriminating evidence emerged against one of the employees of DRDA, Sanjay Adhek, junior revenue assistant. “The accused confessed during interrogation that he placed the spy camera in the washroom in March this year,” said the superintendent of police, Jagatsinghpur, Ankit Kumar Verma, on Sunday while addressing mediapersons at Jagatsinghpur.

Investigation revealed that the accused allegedly procured the spy camera through an online platform in Jan and secretly installed it inside the ladies’ washroom in March to capture private activities of women employees. The device was linked to his mobile phone through a dedicated surveillance application, enabling remote access and monitoring through a video-sharing platform.

Based on the available digital, documentary, circumstantial and technical evidence, the accused was arrested. The seized electronic devices and digital data are being subjected to detailed forensic examination to ascertain the full extent of the offence and identify any additional corroborative evidence. “Further investigation is continuing,” added Verma.

“We seized a spy camera, a hard disk, a pen drive containing CCTV footage relevant to the investigation, a mobile phone, purchase invoice/cash memo relating to procurement of the spy camera and relevant digital records and electronic data connected with the operation of the device. The swift detection and successful investigation of the case reflect the commitment of Jagatsinghpur police towards ensuring the safety, dignity and privacy of women and maintaining a secure workplace environment,” added the police officer.

The accused was booked under Section 77 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (pertaining to voyeurism) and other sections of BNS and under Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, which addresses breach of privacy involving unauthorised capture or distribution of images from private spaces.

He was produced in the court at Jagatsinghpur on Sunday. The court rejected his bail application and remanded him in judicial custody, added the police officer.