A woman from Bengaluru recently shared a shocking experience on social media, saying she was secretly filmed while using the toilet at a well-known restaurant in Koramangala. Her post quickly got attention online, and the restaurant later released a statement saying they were aware of the incident and were working with the police.
The woman said the incident happened on April 25 in the washroom of Anand Sweets and Savouries. In her Instagram posts, she explained that she had gone there to use the toilet after her friend told her it was a trusted and popular place. But once inside, she noticed a gap in the cement wall. When she checked it, she realized something was wrong.
In her post, the woman described the details of what happened. She said that in the washroom on the first floor, she noticed the wall wasn't made entirely of bricks. Instead, there was fibreglass at the top and wooden strips near the commode. While using the toilet, she sensed something was wrong and decided to check. She tapped the fibreglass and crouched down to look through the wooden strips. To her shock, she saw a phone on the other side, and it moved, confirming that she was being filmed.
The woman quickly ran out and asked the restaurant manager to check the staff's phones and find the person recording her. "I was shaking and crying, but determined not to let the person go," she wrote. However, her request was ignored, so she decided to call the police.
Before the police arrived, the woman reviewed the CCTV footage and identified the culprit. He was then taken to the police station, where he confessed to filming her. "He admitted it, claimed he had deleted the videos, and begged for forgiveness, even calling me 'didi' and saying he had a newborn daughter," she wrote. However, when his phone was checked, images of other women from the internet were found alongside a picture of his baby, which made her even angrier.
The woman further claimed that the restaurant's staff tried to convince her not to take any action. She said the regional director of the company allegedly told her that she would "get over this in a few weeks." He also tried to emotionally manipulate her by saying he saw her as a daughter. "But no father would ask his daughter to forgive such an act," she wrote.
She went on to explain that when she tried to leave, the regional director, Mr. Ramesh, blocked the door, saying he didn't want other customers to see her crying. "I felt trapped... I've been dealing with panic attacks and sleepless nights," she wrote.
According to her, the staff urged her to stay quiet "for my business" and to "move on." But she refused. "Silence protects predators," she said. "To every woman out there: you're not paranoid about checking. You're not overreacting for speaking up. You're powerful. And you deserve safety, even in a washroom," she added in the caption of her post.
The restaurant responded by saying they are working with the authorities on the matter. They expressed being deeply disturbed by the incident on April 25th at their Koramangala branch and stated that such behaviour is unacceptable.
They explained that the person responsible was a maintenance technician who had climbed the scaffolding outside the building to access the first floor. The restaurant assured that they are supporting the affected woman and have reported the incident to the proper authorities.