A 23-year-old man who works at a famous cafe in Bengaluru was arrested for allegedly hiding a mobile phone with video recording turned on in a dustbin in the cafe’s ladies’ restroom. The phone was switched to airplane mode so it did not make any sound, according to a woman’s social media post.
The accused Manoj, a resident of Guttahalli in Bengaluru, hails from Shivamogga and worked at Third Wave Coffee Shop in BEL Road for six months.
The employee was arrested after a woman with the Instagram profile “Gangs Of Cinepur” posted a story about a woman who found a phone in a trash can with the video recording turned on for about two hours.
“I was at a Third Wave Coffee outlet in Bengaluru this (August 9) morning when a woman found a phone hidden in a dustbin in the washroom. The video recording had been on for about two hours and pointed at the toilet seat,” the story said.
The phone was “carefully put into airplane mode so that it makes no noise,” it said.
The post said the phone was placed in the garbage bag with a hole made in it so the camera was visible.
“It quickly became apparent that the phone belonged to one of the men working there. The police were called, arrived soon and action was taken,” it said.
“This was so horrible to watch. I will be vigilant in every restroom I use from now on, no matter how well known the cafe or restaurant chain is. I ask all of you to do the same. This is disgusting,” the story said.
Third Wave Coffee issued a statement saying it regretted the “unfortunate” incident and that management had terminated the employee.
“We regret the unfortunate incident that occurred at our BEL Road branch in Bengaluru and would like to reiterate that such actions are absolutely unacceptable at Third Wave Coffee. We have acted swiftly to resolve the situation by immediately dismissing the individual and ensuring the safety of our customers,” the company tweeted.
