The woman said that the incident happened on April 25 around 8 pm at Anand Sweets while trying to empty her menstrual cup in the washroom.
In a shocking breach of privacy, a Bengaluru woman allegedly found a person recording her changing her menstrual cup inside the washroom of a popular bakery outlet in Koramangala. Sharing the story on Instagram, she said that the incident happened on April 25 around 8 pm at Anand Sweets while trying to empty her menstrual cup.
Explaining the incident, she said that the wall of the first-floor washroom was not fully made of bricks. “Instead, the center part had fiberglass at the top and wooden strips at the level of the commode. I was on my period and needed to empty my menstrual cup. While doing so, I sensed something was wrong. I tapped the fiberglass and decided to crouch down and look through the wooden strips. That's when I saw a phone placed on the other side. I looked at my hand to check if it was a reflection, but I wasn't holding a phone- only my menstrual cup. When I looked again, I saw the phone move. That's when I realized I was being recorded.
She said that she called her friend and tried to find the accused. “I checked the phones of employees right in front of the manager, who was asking me to calm down. Seeing how casually they were taking it, I asked my friend to call the police,” she added.
Related Articles
The woman said that when the CCTV footage was reviewed, the visuals showed a security guard entering a side pathway that was under construction. “The manager called him back, and we checked his phone-there was nothing. I clearly remembered the phone had a blue panel. We then checked the camera near the washroom and saw an Anand Sweets employee using the back exit. We had found the culprit. The police arrived and dragged him to the station. I had entered the washroom at 8:01 PM, called my friend at 8:04 PM, and the accused was taken to the station by 9:10 PM,” the post read.
‘Bakery staff confessed on video’
She also said that the accused admitted to the crime after interrogation for three hours. According to the woman, the employee claimed he was throwing garbage, and then that he was calling his wife. “...But phone records showed he called her only at 8:12 PM. I lost patience and asked my friend to tell him we had all the proof and wouldn't leave without filing a case. Eventually, he confessed, claimed he deleted the videos, and begged for forgiveness, even calling me "didi" and saying he had a newborn daughter. That only made me angrier. On checking his phone, I found images of other women from the internet alongside his baby's photo.”
The post explained that she had the confession recorded on video. “The FIR was filed and I left at around 2:30 AM. Between 10 PM and 2:30 AM, many employees tried to talk me out of taking action. I reached out to the owner but was directed to the regional director, Mr. Ramesha, who promised to come from Chennai the next day (Saturday),” it read.
‘Other customers should not see you cry’
The woman explained that she met the regional director on Sunday around 6:30 AM at a small congested cubicle in Anand Sweets, where she was asked to recreate everything. She alleged manipulation and that the FIR was filed because of his intervention. “I broke down and tried to leave, but Mr. Ramesha blocked the door, saying other customers shouldn't see me cry. I felt trapped. My friend insisted they let me go. Mr. Ramesha then asked the female employee to convince me. I asked her if she would be convinced if this happened to her-she had no answer,” the woman wrote.
She added that she has been facing panic attacks and sleepless nights following the incident. “Since then, I've ignored all their calls. A day later, I got a call from the POSH committee of Adityavani asking to meet at Anand Sweets. I refused. They kept insisting, but I've been dealing with panic attacks and sleepless nights,” the post read, asking all women to stay alert.
“You are not paranoid for checking. We live in a world where we have to check for cameras even in washrooms,” she said.
