Bengaluru: A Bengaluru woman has accused a city police officer of alleged harassment by contacting her on WhatsApp using the mobile number she had provided while filing an official police complaint.
Janhavi Desai stated she had lodged the complaint last year. Months later, the police officer messaged her on WhatsApp with the phone number she provided, she alleged.
She shared screenshots of the chat conversation, which show the sender allegedly greeted her and asked about her well-being. Janhavi responded by asking why she was being contacted and questioned the purpose of the messages.
After being called out, the sender enabled disappearing messages, which she claimed were an attempt to make the conversation more private.
The woman tagged Bengaluru City Police in her post and sought assurances regarding the security of personal information submitted by citizens while filing police complaints. The official Bengaluru City Police account responded to the post, stating that the matter had been forwarded to the concerned authorities for necessary action.
On Thursday, two officers from the Varthur Police recorded her statement.
The allegations have attracted significant attention online, with many social media users discussing the responsibilities of public officials in safeguarding sensitive personal information. The incident has also renewed calls for stronger accountability mechanisms and stricter protocols governing access to citizen data.
Legal experts and privacy advocates have repeatedly emphasised that information provided to public authorities for official purposes must be protected and used strictly within the scope of the investigation or administrative process for which it was collected.
As of now, police authorities have not disclosed whether an internal inquiry has been initiated or whether the officer concerned has been identified. Further developments are expected as the department examines the allegations and verifies the claims made by the complainant.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Veena Nair | 
