Odisha official held for installing spycam in women's washroom

An official in Odisha has been arrested after allegedly installing a spy camera in the women's washroom of a government office, sparking outrage and a police investigation.

A clerical staff member of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur has been arrested for allegedly installing a spy camera in the women's washroom of the office, police said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Sanjay Adhek (35), a junior revenue assistant in the DRDA office, was arrested on Saturday.

Discovery of the Spy Camera

The incident came to light when the camera suddenly fell off when a female employee was using the washroom on May 25, a police officer said.

Following the incident, the woman lodged a complaint with the Tirtol police station on May 26, and an investigation was initiated, Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Ankit Kumar Verma told reporters on Sunday.

Police Investigation and Confession

"After conducting an extensive investigation, examining the CCTV footage, and conducting forensic analysis of the device, we found frequent movement of Adhek in the women's washroom area," he said.

When the investigation was in progress, the accused confessed to the crime before his higher officers and pleaded for leniency, Verma said.

Evidence and Motive

After examining all the evidence, it was found that he had allegedly procured the spy camera from an online platform, he stated.

The SP said that Adhek allegedly installed the spy camera inside the washroom in March with the "ill intention of capturing private activities of the office's women employees".

Further investigation is underway, he said.

The police seized the spy camera, hard disk, pen drive, mobile phone and other documents.