BANGLADESH

The police investigation committee looking into the sensational discovery that Persona beauty parlour filmed a female client on its CCTV has got five more days to submit its findings.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's deputy commissioner (Gulshan) Khandker Lutful Kabir told bdnews24.com that the time was extended for a second time on Thursday as the three-strong panel had been busy for two days with 'some urgent work'.

The committee had got the first five-day extension on Oct 5. The panel, formed on Oct 3, was first given three days to submit its report.

The members of the committee, headed by additional deputy commissioner Nizamul Haque Molla, visited Persona beauty parlour and quizzed the staff. Two others of the committee are assistant commissioners Mizanur Rahman and Nurul Alam.

The High Court on Oct 10 ordered the government to take out all close-circuit TV cameras from beauty parlours on a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation chief executive Elina Khan.

The plea was filed after a doctor found a closed-circuit TV camera in her changing room after a spa at the parlour's Banani branch on Sept 30.

The woman made a verbal complaint with the police and the media for filming her.

Gulshan police sub-inspector Mehedy Masud was suspended on Oct 3 for destroying evidence and neglecting duty after seizing a CCTV camera of the beauty parlour.

The doctor's husband erased her footage from the parlour's computer in presence of the police officer.

On Oct 1, Persona chief Kaniz Almas Khan had told that the cameras were there for security reasons and she did not think they were violating anyone's privacy.

Raging debates ensued on social networking sites such as Facebook over camera use in beauty parlours on security excuse.