Phone with camera switched on found in Gorakhpur girls’ hostel bathroom, warden booked

“The phone had been seized and police are examining the recordings found on it,” Cantt inspector Jitendra Singh said. Some students had saved footage on their phones, which police reportedly asked them to delete, though some clips were allegedly circulated online.

The warden of a private girls’ hostel in Mohaddipur area here was detained and questioned on Thursday after inmates alleged that she placed a mobile phone with its camera switched on inside a bathroom used by them, police said.

SP (city) Nimish Patil said the case was registered on the basis of the complaint and further action would depend on evidence collected during the investigation. (For representation)

According to reports, a newly admitted student, who had joined the hostel two days earlier, allegedly spotted a mobile phone inside a tin shed while using the bathroom on the night of September 8. She recorded a video of the device and alerted other residents, following which the girls called the police helpline 112. A police team reached the hostel and seized the phone.

“The phone had been seized and police are examining the recordings found on it,” Cantt inspector Jitendra Singh said.

Some students had saved footage on their phones, which police reportedly asked them to delete, though some clips were allegedly circulated online.

According to police, the hostel has 20 rooms and houses 26 girls, including college students and those preparing for competitive examinations. The warden, identified as Arti Singh, has been running the hostel for several years in a rented house.

Following the students’ complaint, police registered an FIR against Singh under Section 77 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on allegations of recording girls while they were using the bathroom and violating their privacy.

SP (city) Nimish Patil said the case was registered on the basis of the complaint and further action would depend on evidence collected during the investigation.

During questioning, Singh told police that a dustbin had been placed in the bathroom for disposing of sanitary pads. She claimed some residents continued to throw the pads elsewhere, creating a mess. She said she switched the phone to recording mode around 10 pm and placed it in the bathroom to identify those disposing of the pads outside the dustbin.

Singh also told police that CCTV cameras had been installed at various locations in the hostel as part of security arrangements and claimed she had no wrong intention in placing the phone in the bathroom.

The students, however, alleged that the phone was positioned to record the toilet area, raising concerns over their privacy.