Fabindia top bosses to be quizzed in voyeurism case

BJP MLAs Michael Lobo and Pramod Sawant standing outside a showroom, where HRD Mnister Smriti Irani found a camera installed inside the changing room, at Candolim, Goa on Friday. (Source: PTI)

Goa Police will quiz two top officials of Fabindia on Tuesday in connection with the voyeurism case filed against the outlet’s staff after Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani alleged that the store had a CCTV camera focusing at the trial room.

The state crime branch has issued summons to Fabindia’s Chief Executive Officer Subrata Dutta and Managing Director William Bissell asking them to remain present for the investigation.

“Both of them have informed us that they will remain present before the investigating officer tomorrow,” Superintendent of Police Kartik Kashyap told PTI on Monday.

Goa Police had on Sunday said all the persons involved in the voyeurism case, registered following the complaint by Irani, would be brought to book and “other victims” too would be called for recording their statements.

Irani, who visited a Fabindia store at Candolim last week, alleged that it had a CCTV camera focusing at the trial room.

Subsequently, four employees of the store — Paresh Bhagat, Raju Payanche, Prashant Naik and Karim Lakhani — were arrested and booked under IPC sections 354C (voyeurism), 509 (intrusion into privacy) and IT Act’s section 66E (capturing, publishing image of private area of any person without his/her consent).

However, they were later granted bail by a local court which said that police had made out no grounds for custodial interrogation.

Fabindia has also denied that it had placed hidden cameras in any of its stores.

According to a statement issued by Fabindia earlier, the camera in question at Candolim store was part of the surveillance system and was installed in the shopping area.

Source:: Indian Express