Bengaluru Acupuncture Therapist Filmed His Female Patients Secretly, Gets Detained

A self-proclaimed acupuncture therapist who operated a clinic in Bengaluru was detained on Tuesday night after discovering that he had allegedly been secretly photographing his female patients during sessions in an offensive manner to use them as a bargaining tool, according to the police.

On Wednesday, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) brought Venkataramana alias Venkat, 57, from Andhra Pradesh to Bengaluru and recovered numerous photos and video recordings from his mobile device.

Acupuncture Therapist Filmed Females

The Andhra Pradesh native who was detained allegedly shot pictures and recordings while inserting pins into women's bodies in his Mathikere clinic. After that, he would use them against his clients as blackmail.

In one such instance, Venkat claimed to one of the patients that inserting pins near a woman's intimate area was necessary for the treatment and videotaped the session. An officer said a 41-year-old woman homemaker who used to receive treatment from him reported the incident to the police on October 26 after viewing a video on her phone.

She got a video of herself on WhatsApp from another woman on October 26. The sender was one of Venkataramana's patients. She objected when he informed her he intended to record her while she was receiving treatment. Venkataramana showed her the video of the complainant to gain her trust. The woman realised there was a problem and asked for my mobile number before sharing the video and asking for my permission. She then decided to complain, the homemaker said.

When authorities were hunting for him, Venkat fled to his village of Gooty in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Based on a tipoff, police arrested Venkat and brought him to Bengaluru. He will be in their custody for 15 days.

Venkat, a Class 12 dropout, reportedly joined a private company in Bengaluru's Marathahalli area and eventually rose to the position of commercial manager. After ten years, he enrolled in a two-year study at a Jayanagar acupuncture institution. He later started his clinic and added the prefix "Dr" to his name, according to the police.

Police are still investigating if Venkat had the proper authorization to operate the clinic.

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