Ahmedabad Cyber Crime comes across sale of CCTV footage from marriage halls, bus stations, beauty parlours
Updated: Feb 23rd, 2025
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime cell has concluded that hospital servers were hacked to sell footage in a case that violates women’s dignity. However, the biggest concern is that footage was obtained and sold from marriage halls, bus stations, dressing rooms in malls, and beauty parlours. Initially, free clips were sent, and later, subscriptions were sold, not just for footage but also for live telecasts.
Investigations have revealed that footage from public places without CCTV cameras was obtained using hidden cameras. The cyber crime cell is working with police from other states to uncover the nationwide network involved in this racket. A major disclosure is expected soon.
The investigation into the viral CCTV footage from Payal Maternity Home & Surgical Hospital in Rajkot has led authorities to an international racket.
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime cell discovered that footage from 80 hospitals had been sold.
Considering the severity of the crime, the state’s Home Department has invoked Section 66(F)(2) of the Information Technology Act, which falls under the category of cyber terrorism and carries a provision for life imprisonment.
The hospital servers were hacked, and the footage was sold on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
The arrested individuals—Prajwal Ashok Taili, Praj Rajendra Patil, and Chandraprakash Phulchand —were caught from two states.
During their nine-day remand, authorities are investigating how they obtained footage from places without CCTV cameras, whether through hidden cameras or other means.
Kingpin remains unknown
A critical concern in this case is that the accused charged subscribers between ₹800 and ₹4,000 to view the footage, earning ₹8 lakh to 10 lakh. Their ultimate goal was to earn ₹40 million and become millionaires. Questions remain about the origins of this idea, the network’s mastermind, the banking channels used to collect payments, and the QR codes used for transactions.
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