Smriti Irani case: 4 Fabindia employees held, senior executives to be quizzed today

Panaji: Four employees of the Fabindia outlet in Goa - where Union minister Smriti Irani claimed to have discovered a camera trained on the trial room - were arrested on Friday evening.

The senior executives of the ethnic lifestyle brand are likely to be questioned on Saturday.

While trying clothes at the outlet on Friday, Irani spotted the camera, which was positioned to record inside the small room. Footage from the camera, including that of the minister, was found recorded on a computer at the store, alleged a legislator of Goa, Micheal Lobo. A case was filed with the local police.

Read: While trying clothes, Smriti Irani spots camera pointed at trial room of Fabindia store in Goa

The four men - Paresh Bhagat, Raju Payanche, Prashant Naik and Karim Lakhani - had been detained for questioning earlier, said Karthik Kashyap, a senior officer of the local Crime Branch.

Later, they were booked for voyeurism, intrusion into privacy and also capturing, publishing image of private area of any person without consent.

"We will also be questioning all the top bosses of Fabindia, including its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (William Bissell) tomorrow," Mr Kashyap told PTI on Friday.

BJP MLAs Michael Lobo and Pramod Sawant standing outside a showroom, where HRD Mnister Smriti Irani found a camera installed inside the changing room, at Candolim, Goa (Photo: PTI)

A team of top Fabindia officials is on its way to Goa. The Goa Congress demanded immediate sealing of all Fabindia outlets across the country.

"What happened at Fabindia is shameful and shocking to all of us, the state governments all over the country should immediately seal all Fabindia outlets in the country and carry out a thorough inspection," said Goa Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar.