📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / David Wright
Crime
Police Officer Charged for Erasing CCTV Footage to Hide Suspect’s Escape
✍️ ThePrint
🗓 07 Nov 2026, 08:25 AM
👁 13
A police officer has been booked for deliberately deleting CCTV recordings from a police station in an attempt to conceal the escape of an accused individual.
The police department has filed a criminal case against a constable accused of wiping out CCTV footage from a police station. The charge sheet alleges that the officer deliberately erased the video recordings that captured the moment an accused person fled the premises.
According to the investigation, the deletion was intended to conceal the suspect’s escape and prevent the footage from being used as evidence in any subsequent legal proceedings. The officer’s actions are said to have obstructed the chain of custody of critical visual evidence.
Authorities have invoked sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act that deal with tampering of evidence and destruction of electronic records. The officer now faces both criminal prosecution and internal disciplinary measures.
Police officials emphasized that preserving CCTV footage is a statutory requirement for transparency and accountability in law‑enforcement operations. The case underscores growing concerns about misuse of surveillance systems and the need for stricter oversight.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details will be released as the judicial process unfolds.
According to the investigation, the deletion was intended to conceal the suspect’s escape and prevent the footage from being used as evidence in any subsequent legal proceedings. The officer’s actions are said to have obstructed the chain of custody of critical visual evidence.
Authorities have invoked sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act that deal with tampering of evidence and destruction of electronic records. The officer now faces both criminal prosecution and internal disciplinary measures.
Police officials emphasized that preserving CCTV footage is a statutory requirement for transparency and accountability in law‑enforcement operations. The case underscores growing concerns about misuse of surveillance systems and the need for stricter oversight.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further details will be released as the judicial process unfolds.