Hidden Cameras Spark Safety Fears Among Women

Hyderabad: Every time a woman gets into the trial room of a mall, she first doesn’t see how she looks in a dress she picked for herself, but for a spy camera that may be hidden in a mirror, or the fan overhead, or probably a sensory one that almost looks like it’s hidden in the wall.A bathroom mirror, a hostel’s ceiling, a keychain or even a water bottle kept in a hotel room. This secret surveillance device recording vulnerable moments non-consensually, can be concealed anywhere for a woman. In January 2025, around 200 women staged a protest at CMR Engineering College in Medchal, alleging that spy cameras were installed in women’s hostel washrooms and rooms. While the police had not recovered any incriminating material from the two arrested, the incident had highlighted a growing safety concern for women. On September 9, the Telangana High Court bench headed by Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar directed the state police to submit a detailed action report on the circular issued by state Women’s Safety Wing following a writ petition filed by Heaven’s Homes Society founder G. Varalaxmi, citing several criminal cases registered for illegally placing spy cameras in hostels, malls, and hotels – leaving women traumatised. The memo outlined several precautionary measures. It directed unit officers to identify and instruct sellers of spy cameras to display cautionary stickers. These stickers would inform purchasers about Section 66(E) of the Information Technology Act, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine for illegally capturing or transmitting images of a person’s private area without consent. According to the latest available National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data (2022), Telangana recorded a total of 157 cases of voyeurism, under Section 354C of the IPC. However, senior officials from the Women’s Safety Wing admitted that the actual number is far higher, as many cases of such abuse often never reach police records. While this silent crime grips the state, lack of reporting, and enforcement gaps add to the problem. “Voyeurism is most rampant in remote villages, especially due to social stigma involved in reporting the crime. Minor girls in schools are usually victims of non-consensual recording. However, little is done to instill fear in the minds of the perpetrators,” the senior official said, adding that victim families often focus more on getting the footage deleted once they are out there. Adding to this problem is the easy sale and lack of crackdown on violators. While these spy cameras are supposed to be sold with a cautionary sticker or a warning, they are widely sold lacking a warning – both online (on e-commerce portals like Amazon, Flipkart, e-bay) and offline. According to Section 4 (1) of the Telangana Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013, all establishments must ensure public safety measures are provided properly and must send compliance letters along with a signed declaration form to the concerned jurisdictional police station. In this form, the management should declare that all rooms, toilets, washrooms and private spaces are thoroughly checked manually or by spy camera detectors and not found anything. Additionally, Section 5 of the Act gives the police inspector the authority to enter into any establishment, inspect and check for public safety measures, “without prior notice”, and in case of any default or violation, “shall send report to the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) or as the case may be the sub divisional police officer (SDPO) concerned having jurisdiction over the area.” When Deccan Chronicle checked with the Central Crime Records Bureau (CCRB) and some of the local police stations in Cyberabad, no data on police crackdown on any shops violating public safety norms was found. In 2024, the Hyderabad city police had taken up an initiative – ‘Secure and Sure’ – where police teams would go to malls, hotels and even women’s hostels and check for any spy cameras being installed in any sensitive areas. However, a senior official from the city police admitted that currently, no such checks are being carried out.



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