The incident has triggered fresh concerns among women commuters, who say the incident is only a small part of a wider pattern of unchecked public harassment.
Published May 23, 2025 | 8:31 PM ⚊ Updated May 23, 2025 | 10:37 PM
The page was first flagged by social media users late last week, prompting immediate widespread public outrage.
Synopsis: A 27-year-old man has been arrested for secretly filming women on the Bengaluru Metro and uploading the videos to an Instagram page. The account, now deleted, drew public outrage after being flagged by social media users. Despite the arrest, many women commuters say the incident is only a small part of a wider pattern of unchecked public harassment.
Karnataka Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for filming voyeuristic videos of women commuters on the Bengaluru Metro and sharing them in a now-deleted Instagram page.
The account, @metro_chicks, had been posting covertly recorded clips of women inside metro coaches and stations, without their knowledge or consent, and appeared to focus on content aimed at sexual gratification.
“Today, the individual running the Instagram page has been identified and arrested. He is a 27-year-old man working in the accounts department of a private firm. He resides in Thigalarapalya and works in Murugeshpalya,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Lokesh B Jagalasar.
“While commuting via metro, he used to secretly videograph women passengers without their knowledge or consent and upload these voyeuristic clips to the Instagram page.”
The page was first flagged by social media users late last week, prompting immediate widespread public outrage.
Before it was removed, the account had amassed over 6,000 followers.
In response, the Banashankari Police Station registered a First Information Report under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on 20 May.
ACP Vijay Adagale led the investigation, which revealed that the accused had tried to cover his track by deleting several videos shortly after the account came under scrutiny.
The police have chosen not to disclose the accused’s name at this stage, but issued an appeal to commuters to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.
“If any woman notices someone recording her in the metro, she should immediately reach out to the emergency helpline 112 or use the Suraksha app available on the metro premises,” Dy Commissioner Jagalasar said.
“As a last resort, she can also videograph the person recording her to collect evidence.”
The incident has triggered deep concern among women who regularly use the metro, many of whom say it reflects a broader pattern of public harassment that remains unaddressed.
“Honestly, I feel like it might make headlines for a while, but then it’ll just fade away like everything else,” said Pratyusha, a regular commuter.
“Men do stare at us all the time, and most of the time, we can’t do anything about it. People will continue to travel by metro because it’s the most affordable option.”
Trupti, a student, recalled a recent experience where she became anxious after noticing a phone pointed in her direction during a crowded ride.
“I don’t know if he was casually holding it like that, but I feel uneasy,” she said.
“The women’s compartment is the only safe place in the metro.”
Another commuter described how her perception of safety has shifted following the incident.
“I never thought of the Bangalore metro as unsafe. But now I feel disgusted and paranoid. I have to be very conscious of who’s trying to look down my shirt with their camera or get some strange angle,” she said.
“It’s really unfair that for women, we only get one small compartment while men take the rest of the space and even get annoyed if we enter the general compartments.”
Despite the investigation and arrest, many women feel they are only the beginning of what needs to be a more serious and sustained effort to address everyday harassment.
“The person exposed might get fined or spend a few months in jail at most, and then things will go back to normal. Life will just move on, like it always does,” Pratyusha said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
