It was about 11 am on 30 June. The employee stepped into the third-floor washroom and noticed a strange reflection on the cubicle door. Sensing something was off, she quickly stepped out. Another woman exited a nearby stall but this one stayed back. To be sure, the employee returned to her cubicle, climbed onto the commode and was stunned. Mali was there in the next stall, standing on the toilet seat with his trousers off. His phone was pointed at her.
A police official confirmed the sequence, saying, “She caught him red-handed.” Startled, Mali began to apologise. But the employee did not back down. She ran out, alerted her colleagues and the housekeeping staff. They cornered Mali before he could escape.
The woman and a member of Infosys’ HR team checked Mali’s phone and found her clip stored in it. They took a screenshot for proof. It did not end there.
More women may be victims
Mali, 30, from Sangli district in Maharashtra, later confessed to the police that he had filmed at least one more woman inside the same washroom. Police say his phone held more than 50 such clips. He told investigators he got “satisfaction” from watching them. Swapnil, a BE graduate and the son of a farmer, left his family shocked and “deeply disturbed” after police informed them about his arrest.
A senior police officer said, “Once we confirmed that the videos were still there on his phone, a woman police sub-inspector was told to check those.”The phone has now been sent to a forensic lab to retrieve deleted data. Police suspect Mali might have targeted more employees. Inspector BG Naveen Kumar said, “We are also verifying if more women were affected and how long he had been engaging in this illegal act.”
Husband demands action
After confronting Mali, the employee informed Infosys’ HR team. She went home that day and told her husband everything. He insisted she file a police complaint to ensure legal action. She did so on 1 July at the Electronics City police station.
Police arrested Mali on the same day under sections related to voyeurism, criminal breach of privacy, sexual harassment and invasion of privacy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act.
When presented in court, the magistrate reminded police that charges attracting under seven years in prison must follow proper arrest rules. Any slip-up could help the accused go free. The court granted him station bail.
Infosys: Zero tolerance
Infosys has fired Mali and said in a statement, “We are aware of this incident and have taken necessary action against the employee, who is now separated from the company. We also promptly supported the complainant by facilitating a swift complaint with the law enforcement authorities and continue to cooperate as they investigate further. Infosys is committed to providing an environment free of harassment and has a zero-tolerance policy. We take every complaint related to any violation of the company’s Code of Conduct seriously.”
The woman’s husband has called for stronger measures within Infosys to stop such acts before they start.
This is not an isolated shock. In April, police in Ayodhya arrested a 25-year-old guest house employee for secretly filming a woman devotee bathing near the Ram Temple. The woman, from Varanasi, noticed a shadow and found a phone camera peeping through a tin roof. Police seized the phone and found more videos of other female guests.
Back in Bengaluru, Electronics City police are widening their probe. They want to know if Mali shared these videos or stored them elsewhere. They have urged any other women who may suspect they were recorded to come forward.
