Salesman of a prominent textile shop in Kerala was recently arrested by the Kottayam West Police officials after a woman customer caught the man red handed while trying to videograph her while she was inside the trial room of the shop. Nithin Kumar, salesman of Seematti textiles in Kottayam, was arrested by the police last Saturday, following the complaint of the woman.
The woman recently came out to the media expressing disdain and concern about the incident that one would least expect such things to happen in prominent textile shops.
“It was when I was trying to change my dress that I noticed a mobile phone near the ceiling. I could see that someone was holding it, part of his hand was visible. The mobile phone’s camera also faced downwards. I quickly came out and tried to push the door (of the adjacent trial room), and it was the salesman of the shop who came out from there when I called out,” Kottayam based Advocate Arathi told Asianet News.
She adds that though initially the man tried to reject the allegation, as she pressed further, he apologised to her asking not to give a police case. “I objected to it. This is a social issue. Women like us come to shops like Seematti with the belief that things like this do not happen here. It is a grave thing that something like this happened,” she added.
Watch video of the woman's reaction:
Officials of Kottayam West Police told TNM that it was on the complaint of the woman that police reached the spot and arrested the man after preliminary inquiry. “The officials of the textile shop haven't filed a complaint. He was arrested based on the woman’s complaint. His phone was seized after the arrest and some videos were also retrieved,” said the official.
The accused who is presently remanded in judicial custody, has been booked under Sections 354 C (Voyeurism) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and 66 E (Punishment for violation of privacy) of the IT Act.
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