Rajkot maternity hospital CCTV footage case: Three more accused arrested
Updated: Feb 23rd, 2025
Ahmedabad Crime Branch has achieved a breakthrough in the viral CCTV case by arresting three more accused who were involved in hacking and selling CCTV footage of hospitals, malls and public places.
The Crime Branch has arrested three accused in connection with the CCTV video leaks. One of them is from Surat, while the other two are from Maharashtra. Parit Dhameliya from Surat had hacked the CCTV cameras of Payal hospital in Rajkot.
Meanwhile, Ryan Robin Parera from Maharashtra hacked hospital CCTV cameras and sold the videos on Telegram. Vaibhav Bandu Mane, also from Maharashtra, was a partner of Prajwal Taili and was responsible for marketing the Telegram channel.
Over 50,000 CCTV cameras hacked
The hackers learned to hack CCTV cameras through Telegram. In the past nine months, they accessed footage from over 50,000 CCTV cameras and sold the videos on Telegram channels. However, one accused is still absconding, and the police are actively searching for him.
An investigating officer from the Ahmedabad Crime Branch revealed that these accused learned hacking through Telegram about a year ago. They then started hacking CCTV cameras, managing to breach over 50,000 cameras in the past nine months.
The police have also uncovered the methods they used for hacking. The accused used two specific software tools to test and hack CCTV cameras.
How did the accused manage to hack?
Accused Ryan Parera and Rohit Sisodia were friends, and later, they came into contact with Dhameliya. The three of them started hacking together.
Initially, they watched hacking videos on YouTube and Telegram. Later, they connected with other hacking groups and IDs on Telegram.
International network?
However, those groups and IDs have now been deleted, making it difficult for the police to track them. The accused also have no further details about those groups, but they admitted that they learned about CCTV hacking through Telegram.
Further investigation revealed that some of the IP addresses involved were from Romania, which is currently under investigation. However, since the accused used VPNs, tracing them has been challenging.
Moreover, a suspicious Instagram ID has been found, containing hospital footage. Another suspicious ID has been traced to Bangladesh, where it was operated from. A Bangladeshi mobile number has also been identified, leading investigators to suspect that the videos were being sold outside India as well.
CCTV video sellers earned in lakhs
The hacking group earned around ₹5–6 lakh by selling the CCTV footage. They did not specifically target any location but attempted to hack all available cameras.
They would collect footage from cameras that were easily hacked and sell the videos. Currently, police are investigating which other locations’ CCTV footage was compromised.
Another accomplice, Rohit, is also under investigation. Additionally, authorities are examining how many people purchased the leaked videos.
The highest demand was for CCTV footage from bedrooms and hospitals. The accused operated based on supply and demand, finding only 5–10 saleable videos out of 50,000–60,000 hacked footage, which they then put up for sale.
Response demanded from Telegram app
Authorities have written to Telegram seeking answers and requesting action to shut down the channels involved. Further action will be taken after receiving Telegram’s response. The police have seized laptops, mobile phones, and hard drives from the accused, as they primarily operated using these devices. The latest arrests were made by following leads from previously arrested suspects.
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