Bengaluru
oi-Madhuri Adnal
More than 240 CCTV cameras at M Chinnaswamy Stadium went offline for a brief period ahead of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru versus Gujarat Titans match on April 24, leading to a police case and raising concerns over surveillance during a crucial pre match window.
The disruption came to light during a routine system check when cameras covering entry gates, concourses and perimeter areas were found non functional. With the match scheduled later in the day, the issue was flagged immediately and restoration work was carried out within minutes.
Over 240 CCTV cameras at M Chinnaswamy Stadium briefly went offline on April 24 due to suspected tampering by two employees before an RCB vs GT match, resulting in a police case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; the system was restored within minutes.
Police said two employees of IVS Digital Solutions, Manjunath (37) and Abdul Kalam (19), are suspected to have entered the stadium using an old access card and reached restricted areas housing CCTV infrastructure. Investigators believe fibre connections and equipment linked to the surveillance network were tampered with, leading to the failure.
The complaint was filed by Staqu Technologies Pvt. Ltd., which manages the surveillance system at the stadium. A technical review later showed that live feeds from over 240 cameras were affected after connections between the server room and field units were disrupted.
Footage from operational cameras and system records placed the two accused inside restricted zones around the time the cameras stopped working, following which a case was registered at Cubbon Park Police Station.
During questioning, the accused are said to have cited a payment dispute with their employer. Police said the system was restored within about 15 minutes and there was no major security breach during the match.
A case has been booked under provisions related to mischief under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Officials said further investigation is under way. Separately, police have also registered cases related to black marketing and circulation of fake tickets linked to the same match.
