Key evidence lost in Bengaluru Benz accident case as Safe City CCTV cameras found defunct

What could have served as a major piece of evidence — CCTV visuals of the incident — was compromised, as the cameras installed near the accident site were found to be not working. A senior police officer said it was revealed that the cameras under the Safe City project had been defunct since six days prior to the incident, while the cameras installed by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were suspected to have been non-functional for two years.

An officer monitoring the investigations said the Kengeri traffic police had access to the live feed from the CCTV cameras under the Safe City project, but none had checked their functionality. When the accident occurred, the police discovered that the CCTV cameras were indeed defunct and that no visuals were being stored on the data storage devices. This loss of evidence makes eyewitness accounts crucial as the case progresses to trial, the officer added.

In 2021, Honeywell Automation India Limited secured the contract for implementing a Rs 496.67-crore police project aimed at making Bengaluru a safer city for women. Under this project, Honeywell has to install 7,500 CCTV cameras across the city and maintain them for five years. The commissioning of CCTV cameras began in 2023. When indianexpress.com approached it for a response regarding the project, Honeywell did not reply to messages sent via WhatsApp or phone calls.

Shivakumar N, husband of Sandhya A S, has approached the Karnataka High Court alleging the police were attempting to hush up the case because of the influential family background of the accused. On December 7, the high court directed the Bengaluru traffic police to collect all electronic evidence, including CCTV visuals. An officer said the police received written communication from Honeywell indicating that the visuals were unavailable. This information has been shared with the high court, the police officer added.

Shivakumar blamed the police. “I asked for the CCTV footage but they kept me in the dark. They did not share any videos with me. Eventually, I had to approach the Karnataka High Court. We searched at least 25 locations and there is only one visual from a private CCTV camera where the Benz car can be seen. However, they are now saying the CCTVs were not working,” he told indianexpress.com.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Commissioner of Police B Dayananda said he had come to know that CCTV cameras under the Safe City project were not working. “The CCTV cameras were commissioned in 2023, and the provider is responsible for maintaining them for five years from the date of commissioning. There are clauses under which they can be fined for their failure. We will take appropriate action,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dhanush was granted bail by the high court after he approached it following the rejection of his plea by a local court.