Authorities have apprehended a clergyman affiliated with a shrine for purportedly installing a surveillance device above an open-air lavatory designated for females in this locale, as per police reports disclosed on Saturday. Per the authorities, the aforementioned shrine is situated in close proximity to the Muradnagar Ganga canal, a site commonly frequented by individuals for ablutionary rites before engaging in devotional practices.

The incident was brought to attention when a lady accompanied by her offspring visited the shrine on May 21 and detected a CCTV apparatus aimed towards the exposed bathroom, law enforcement officials relayed. “The woman discerned that the surveillance mechanism affixed aloft was directed towards the chamber where female individuals undertake attire adjustments,” elucidated Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Vivek Chandra Yadav.

It was divulged that the video feed from the surveillance system was linked to the handheld communication device possessed by the temple’s custodian, facilitating his clandestine observation of female patrons, revealed the DCP. Subsequent to the woman’s notification to Mahant Goswami regarding the presence of the surveillance apparatus, he exhibited hostility and resorted to verbal abuse. Furthermore, he issued threats of severe repercussions should she disclose the existence of the camera to others, as stated by the DCP.

“Following the receipt of a formal complaint, the Muradnagar police initiated legal action by filing an FIR on Friday. However, upon the arrival of law enforcement personnel at the shrine to effectuate the arrest, the individual in question was conspicuously absent,” noted the DCP. Legal proceedings have been initiated against the temple custodian under sections 354 (criminal assault on a female), 354 C (surveillance or recording of images of females involved in private activities), 504 (deliberate insult), and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Ongoing inquiries are being conducted by the authorities.