In a disturbing incident at Bengaluru’s Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, a 28-year-old male hospital staffer was arrested for allegedly recording women in a restroom. The suspect, identified as Yellalinga, a resident of Kalaburagi, had been working as a patient helper on a contract basis at the hospital for five months.
The incident came to light on October 31 when a 35-year-old woman, employed as a ward helper at the hospital, noticed a mobile phone placed suspiciously on a partition wall in one of the women’s restrooms. As she was leaving the restroom around 11 pm, she grew suspicious of the phone’s positioning. Upon further investigation, she discovered that the phone was recording, capturing private moments of women using the restroom.
Yellalinga, who had apparently placed the phone earlier in the day, approached the woman shortly after, referring to her as “sister” and asking her to return the phone. However, the woman refused and raised an alarm. Her actions drew the attention of other hospital staff, who gathered and confronted Yellalinga. During questioning, he admitted to having placed the phone in the restroom earlier that day, around 10 am.
Following the woman’s report, the hospital management and local police were alerted. The police immediately conducted an investigation and confirmed that no additional videos were found on the mobile device. Yellalinga was subsequently arrested, and the device was seized as evidence. He was taken into custody and remanded to Bengaluru Central Prison.
The incident has raised serious concerns about privacy and safety within hospital premises. Hospital management, in collaboration with local authorities, has assured that a thorough inquiry will be conducted to address security measures at the facility. They also promised to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, such as revising protocols for staff conduct and enhancing surveillance.
This arrest comes on the heels of a similar case in Bengaluru, where a 21-year-old final-year computer science student, Kushal Gowda, was also arrested for secretly filming women in a toilet near Kumbalagodu on Mysuru Road. Gowda, who had been hiding in the women’s restroom and positioning his mobile phone between the gaps of adjacent toilet walls, was apprehended after his activities were reported. These incidents highlight the growing concern over privacy violations in public spaces and the need for greater vigilance to ensure such incidents are prevented.
The cases have prompted calls for stricter surveillance and better enforcement of privacy laws, particularly in public and semi-public spaces such as hospitals, schools, and colleges, where individuals expect a certain level of safety and confidentiality.