BENGALURU: A

exclusively created by

residents to spread awareness about a

who was on the prowl in the locality for over six months helped them catch the culprit on Sunday night.

Acting on a complaint filed by a software engineer, Wilson Garden police on Monday registered a case of voyeurism under the provision of IPC Section 354C against the suspect, Kanakaraj, a resident of Sudhamanagar, who did some odd jobs to earn money.

Shantinagar residents were unnerved after many of them realised a man was allegedly peeping into their bedrooms at night. Besides catching a glimpse of the private moments of couples, the man would bang on the window and let out a scream, scaring them. The residents, however, were unable to catch the nimble-footed man.

Soon, the residents created a WhatsApp group to exclusively share information about the Peeping Tom’s movements. The Shantinagar Residents Welfare Association too started posting information about incidents.

Some residents even installed

in their buildings. In one such incident, a 41-year-old software engineer found the CCTV camera installed by him had captured the movement of the suspect twice in a month: on August 8 and September 19. The man’s face was recognisable in the footage.

“His CCTV grab was widely shared on the group and all residents were aware of the tattoos on his neck and right shoulder,” said Balaji, a WhatsApp group member.

“Late on Sunday night, the techie’s family members found the same man in front of their residence and immediately posted an alert on the WhatsApp group and called police. Members of the group rushed out, caught the stranger and handed him over to Wilson Garden police, who arrested him later,” a police officer said.

Wilson Garden police said they produced Kanakaraj before the court, which granted him bail on Monday.