Singapore tourist held for filming inside Padmanabhaswamy temple using camera-fitted glasses

A Singapore national was taken into custody on Saturday for allegedly recording videos inside Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here using camera-embedded smart glasses, the police said.

The accused, identified as 49-year-old Thiruneepanar, a resident of North Shore Drive, Singapore, and of Sri Lankan origin, was visiting Kerala as a tourist.

According to the police, Thiruneepanar entered the temple premises at 9.25 a.m., where videography is strictly prohibited, wearing smart glasses that contained a concealed camera. He allegedly recorded footage inside the temple, including visuals of the northern side and the Thulabharam mandapam, the police said in the FIR.

Temple security personnel noticed the camera-equipped glasses and promptly intercepted him.

Booked

Thiruneepanar was later handed over to the Fort police, who registered a case under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for disobedience of a lawful order.

The police stated that the tourist was released after being served a notice to appear for further investigation on Sunday morning.

This is not the first such incident; a similar case was reported in July this year when a tourist from Gujarat was caught attempting to record videos inside the temple, police added.