Outrage at Third Wave Coffee after Hidden Camera Found in Washroom

Bengaluru: A Third Wave Coffee outlet in Bengaluru has come under fire after a shocking incident where an employee was caught secretly filming people in the washroom. The incident, which took place at the BEL Road Café on August 10, involved a smartphone that had been concealed inside a dustbin, with its camera deliberately positioned to record the toilet seat. This disturbing act was discovered when a vigilant customer found the hidden device and immediately raised the alarm.

The Sadashiva nagar police have since arrested the individual responsible for this heinous act. The accused, identified as 23 year old Manoj, hails from Shivamogga but resides in Guttahalli, Bengaluru. Manoj had been employed at the Third Wave Coffee outlet on BEL Road for the past six months. Following the incident, he was promptly dismissed from his position. A police officer confirmed that the phone is currently being analyzed as part of the ongoing investigation.

The shocking revelation came to light through a social media post on Saturday. Siddharth, a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) with the handle @SidKeVichaar, shared a screenshot of an Instagram story originally posted by the account “gangsofcinepur.” The post detailed the horrifying experience of a woman who discovered the phone in the washroom. The phone had been cleverly concealed in a dustbin bag with a hole cut out to expose only the camera. It was soon discovered that the device belonged to one of the employees working at the café.

The woman quickly reported the incident, and the police arrived at the scene shortly after. The incident left her, and many others, deeply disturbed. In her post, she expressed her horror at witnessing such a violation and urged others to be vigilant when using washrooms, regardless of how reputable the establishment might be.

In response to the growing outrage, Third Wave Coffee issued a statement on X, expressing their regret and condemning the incident. They assured the public that they had taken immediate action by terminating the employee responsible and reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety of their customers.

The police have registered a case against Manoj under Section 77 (voyeurism) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act. The investigation is ongoing, and further updates are expected as more details emerge.