Rajkot, Feb 23 (IANS) Rajkot’s Payal Hospital CCTV hacking scandal has led to the arrest of three more accused by the Cybercrime Department in Gujarat, bringing the total number of arrests to six.

Among the newly arrested individuals, one is from Surat and two are from Maharashtra. Previously, three others had been taken into custody in connection with the case.

The case exposed a nationwide illegal network where hackers infiltrated maternity hospitals’ CCTV systems, recorded sensitive footage of women undergoing treatment, and uploaded the videos on YouTube and Telegram channels for financial gains.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch and Cybercrime Cell uncovered the operation and arrested three masterminds from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Investigations revealed that Ryan Pereira, one of the accused, hacked into hospital CCTV systems and sold access to the footage through Telegram IDs. Some of the leaked videos were traced back to Payal Maternity Home in Rajkot, prompting further action.

The Ahmedabad police arrested Prajwal Taili from Latur, Praj Patil from Sangli, and Chandra Prakash Fulchand from Prayagraj. They had created YouTube channels and Telegram groups to sell explicit CCTV footage of women for prices ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 4,000. The accused allegedly ran a multi-crore business by providing user IDs and passwords to buyers with illicit interests. Reports suggest they received assistance from hackers based in Atlanta and Romania to breach CCTV security.

The crime branch formed five separate teams to track down the perpetrators. Police have seized hard disks, mobile phones, bank accounts, laptops, and other electronic equipment as part of the investigation. Authorities continue to probe the extent of the illegal operation and its links to international cybercrime networks.

In February 2025, a cybercrime case emerged from Rajkot's Payal Maternity Home & Surgical Hospital, where private CCTV footage of female patients was illicitly accessed and distributed online.

The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch, in collaboration with Rajkot Police, initiated an extensive investigation, leading to multiple arrests and uncovering a broader network of cybercriminal activities.

The scandal came to light when explicit videos from the hospital's gynaecology examination rooms surfaced on platforms like YouTube and Telegram. These videos depicted women undergoing sensitive medical procedures, including sonography, breast examinations, gynaecological treatments, childbirth, and CT scans.

The unauthorised dissemination of such private moments prompted immediate action from law enforcement agencies. This operation led to the arrest of three individuals: Pragnesh Patil and Prajwal Teli from Maharashtra, and Chandra Prakash Fulchand from Uttar Pradesh. These suspects were allegedly involved in hacking into hospital CCTV systems and selling the illicit footage through Telegram channels and YouTube, charging subscribers between Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 for access.

Investigations revealed that the accused had learned hacking techniques approximately two years prior via Telegram.

They targeted CCTV systems of various establishments, including hospitals, gyms, public restrooms, and religious bathing areas, to obtain compromising footage. This content was then uploaded to platforms like YouTube and Telegram, where they managed subscription-based channels, profiting from the distribution of these private videos.

--IANS

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