Indian-Origin US Doc Charged For Filming Women & Children With Hidden Cameras

In a shocking case, an Indian doctor in the US is guilty of 10 counts of sexual crime. Oumair Aejaz is accused of recording nude images and videos of children and women for the past six years. He has also been charged with child sexual abuse. A $2-million bond has been imposed on him for the crimes. He was arrested on August 8 after hidden cameras at his home, bathroom, changing area and hospital rooms were discovered. 

As per the reports, the case came to light with Aejaz's wife provided the law enforcement officials with related materials. This instigated Oakland County Sheriff's Office to execute several searches after which Aejaz's criminal activity was exposed. 

On August 13, Aejaz was formally charged with one count of child sexual abusive activity, four counts of capturing images of unclothed persons, and five counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Reportedly, the camera captured objectionable footage of children as young as three years old and also partially undressed images of women either sleeping or unconscious. 

Before this, Aejaz had no criminal history. He moved to the US in 2011 on a work visa. After completing his residency at Sinai Grace Hospital in Michigan, he moved to Dawson, Alabama. 

He specialises in internal medicine. In 2018, he moved back to Oakland County in Michigan to practice internal medicine. He was mainly working as a physician. Over the past years, he worked at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township and Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard stated that the crime of Aejaz was so vast that it could take years to uncover and solve it.

"The victimisation is so broad and the perversion so great, we're just beginning to wrap our arms around it," the sheriff said. 

Bouchard even compared the case with that of Larry Nassar, a sports doctor who was convicted of sexually abusing several women. 

The Larry Nassar Case

On January 2018, Ex-USA gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar was sentenced to 175 years of prison for assaulting 160 women. He already got 60 years of imprisonment for possessing child pornography. He was held guilty of 10 counts of sexual abuse of girls and women. Around 140 women filed complaints of sexual assault and not taking any action against Nassar, USA Gymnastics and MSU. 

Other similar cases of non-consensual filming

In February 2024, a Chennai-based dental student has been arrested for secretly filming a woman. He had placed a spy camera in the woman's house which the woman and her husband later discovered. 

As per reports, the couple tried to access the content of the device and were shocked to see non-consensual recordings of the woman while she was changing her clothes. The couple immediately complained to the police station. 

After investigating the matter, the police revealed that the spy camera was placed inside the room by a dental student named Ibrahim. He was also the son of the building owner. Ibrahim was immediately arrested. 

In the same month, a 36-year-old flight attendant of an American Airlines has been arrested for filming young girls in aeroplane bathrooms. He is currently facing 50 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 

The accused, Estes Carter Thompson III, was caught red-handed in September 2023 by a 14-year-old girl whom he tried to film in the restroom. When the girl entered the bathroom, she noticed red stickers underneath the toilet seats with handwritten warnings that stated "INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT," "REMOVE FROM SERVICE," and "SEAT BROKEN." 

When she turned to flush the toilet, she noticed an iPhone peeking outside the stickers. The girl took a photo of the iPhone and the stickers. As soon as she got out of the bathroom, Thompson entered inside.

On searching through the iCloud, it was revealed that Thompson had filmed and taken pictures of young girls in the toilet at least four times before the September incident. The four other girls whose videos were on the phone were ages 7, 9, 11, and 14.