Mumbai: Police looking for biker who filmed couple kissing in auto

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The Mumbai Police are looking for a biker who filmed a teenaged couple kissing in a moving auto rickshaw. The video clip, in which the couple seems to be unaware of being filmed, has gone viral on social media.

The background in the video looks like a western suburb in Mumbai. Interestingly, the biker who shot the video has also pointed the camera at himself in the last 30 seconds of the clip. A senior officer on the condition of anonymity said, "The matter has not been reported to us yet, but we have taken cognisance of the video and are looking for the person who filmed the couple."

He added, "What couples do in public places also attracts sections of the Indian Penal Code, which is punishable, but filming them and making the video viral on social media is violation of privacy."

Senior lawyer Falguni Brahmbhatt said, "The person who has intentionally and knowingly captured the video or image is liable to be booked under section 66E of the IT Act as he has violated the privacy of the other person. He can also be booked for defaming the couple." She added, "In cases where youngsters indulge in obscene acts in public, couples can be booked under section 294 of IPC. In the present incident, the police should book both parties, one for violation of privacy and the other for obscenity."

In a similar incident in June 2018, a couple was seen locked in a very close embrace while sitting on a divider at Marine Drive. The cops had tracked down the couple and questioned them, and later booked the man for obscenity.

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