A nagging suspicion over an oddly placed waste basket in a washroom has ended in the arrest of a printing press owner in Thiruvananthapuram after a hidden camera was discovered in the bin. Rahul P Ashok, owner of a printing firm in Chekkalamukku near Sreekaryam, was arrested by the Sreekaryam police on May 27 following a complaint filed by one of his employees.

The discovery of camera inside washroom has left many women staff panicked. The police have learnt that the women staff from neighbouring shops and customers have also used the washroom.

The police will file a custody application to seek details regarding the memory cards and other storage devices. The cops said that he has denied any wrongdoing and has not opened up on where he has stashed the cards.

According to the complainant, the discovery was not the result of chance alone. It came after weeks of noticing a waste bin repeatedly being moved to the same spot inside the washroom despite attempts to relocate it elsewhere.

The complainant, who joined the printing firm in December 2025, told Onmanorama that the bin initially remained outside the washroom. The following day, however, it was moved inside.

"When I joined, the waste bin was outside. The next day, Rahul's wife placed it inside the washroom, saying customers could see it from outside," she said.

The placement itself did not initially raise alarm. But according to her, the bin was positioned directly in front of the toilet commode, a location that seemed impractical. On more than one occasion, she moved it to a corner of the washroom, only to find it returned to the same spot the next day.

Initially, she thought little of it, assuming Rahul's wife had been moving it. That changed when Rahul's wife left town about a week before the incident.

"The day before I found the camera, I moved the bin away from the commode again. When I came back the next day, it was back in the same position. That's when I became suspicious because Rahul's wife wasn't there," she said.

The washroom, she added, was used not only by the two female employees at the printing press but also by women working at a nearby shop run by Rahul's father, as well as visiting customers.

On the morning of the incident, around 11.45 am, she decided to inspect the bin.

"I looked inside and saw papers covering the top. Underneath was a hole. When I checked further, I found a camera attached to a power bank," she alleged.
According to her, the power bank still had around 45 per cent charge remaining and felt hot to the touch, leading her to suspect it had been in use.

Initially, she said, she wondered whether it could have been a prank involving Rahul's children. What happened next, however, convinced her otherwise.

She said that as she attempted to leave the washroom carrying the camera and power bank, Rahul opened the door from outside and immediately appeared alarmed.
"I told him to move aside, but he grabbed the device from me by force. He separated the camera from the power bank, took it to his cabin and removed the memory card," she claimed.

She immediately contacted her husband and informed the police. By the time her husband arrived, police had already asked her to come to the station and submit a written complaint.

According to the complainant, her husband demanded that Rahul hand over the memory card. Rahul allegedly agreed and went into his house but never returned.
Police said the accused subsequently went into hiding and sought anticipatory bail.

Investigators described Rahul as someone with no previous criminal record and said neither the complainant nor officers had encountered complaints against him in the past.

Police arrested Rahul near his residence in Sreekaryam after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected.
The accused has denied the allegations, according to investigators.

"We need custodial interrogation to investigate further. He has denied the accusations. We have not yet recovered all the evidence, including SD cards and other materials that may be relevant to the case," a police officer said.

Investigators are also examining whether any recordings were stored, shared or circulated. Police said there is currently no evidence to establish that any footage was distributed, but the possibility remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Rahul has been booked under provisions of the Information Technology Act and the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.