Bengaluru: Two employees of a private digital service provider entered M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 24 and disabled more than 240 CCTV cameras. They allegedly damaged network video recorder (NVR) units and optical fibre connections, disrupting surveillance across entry gates, concourses and other key areas.
Soon after the disruption was noticed, services were restored and a police case was filed against the two accused, identified as Manjunath, 37, and Abdul Kalam, 19, employees of IVS Digital Solutions. A police officer said the accused confessed during interrogation that they had a payment issue with the two companies and hence cut the wires of the server room and CCTV cameras. Royal Challengers Bengaluru had given the contract to Staqu Technologies Pvt Ltd, which subleased the maintenance work to IVS Digital Solutions.
A high-voltage match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans took place at the stadium on April 24.
According to the complaint filed by Aditya Bhat, an employee of Staqu Technologies Pvt Ltd, based in Gurugram, Haryana, more than 240 CCTV cameras were found non-functional at the stadium during a routine morning check. Cameras across critical zones, including entry gates, perimeter areas, the D Corporate Stand, and concourses, were offline. A probe pointed to the two individuals.
The duo allegedly entered the stadium around 11:30 a.m. using an access card and gained unauthorised entry into the CCTV control room. They damaged the NVR systems and optical fibre connections, including links from the server room to junction boxes near the parking area, effectively crippling the entire surveillance network between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Footage allegedly shows the accused accessing restricted areas and tampering with key infrastructure. The disruption severely impacted real-time monitoring, leaving authorities without crucial CCTV feeds on match day.
Vandalism Complaint and Legal Action
The complainant termed the act deliberate vandalism and sought immediate legal action against those involved. Cubbon Park police registered a case under Section 324 (mischief) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. As the offence is a bailable one, the accused were served notice and appeared for questioning Monday. Police have also filed seven cases against those selling fake and black-market tickets.
