Cyberabad police intensified its probe into the allegations by female students of CMR Engineering College that they were secretly filmed in the hostel washrooms while the college management has declared a holiday for three days.
Police have taken the hostel warden and six mess workers into custody for questioning and seized their mobile phones.
Protest erupted on the college campus at Medchal on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday night after female students alleged that they were secretly filmed in hostel washrooms.
A case was registered on Thursday under Sections 77 (voyeurism) and 125 (endangering personal safety or life of others) of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Medchal Police Station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.
Police picked up six male workers of the hostel mess and also warden Preethi Reddy for questioning.
Assistant Commissioner of Police B. Srinivas Reddy said a case was also registered against the college management for negligence. He said the management not only employed male workers in the mess but also provided them rooms for their stay next to the ladies’ washroom. The police official said the workers had access to the ventilator of the washroom.
A girl student alleged that she saw the shadow of a person and brought the same to the warden’s notice but as there was no response from the warden, the students began the protest. The students suspect that their videos might have been recorded.
Tension gripped the college as student bodies like NSUI, SFI and ABVP joined the protest in support of the students and demanded stringent action against those involved.
In view of the tense situation and the ongoing investigation, the college management declared a holiday for three days.
The ACP said they seized 12 mobile phones of these workers. “We have so far found no evidence that they recorded videos. We have not found any obscene videos in their phones. However, we are verifying if any videos were deleted,” he said.
Fingerprint experts collected samples from the imprints found on the glass of the ventilator. The experts were analysing if the imprints match with the fingerprints of any of the workers.
The ACP appealed to parents not to worry over rumours that 150-300 videos were recorded.
Telangana State Women’s Commission has ordered an investigation into the incident. Taking suo moto notice of the media reports, the Commission issued a notice to the Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, urging swift action and seeking an action taken report.
