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BUSINESS IS BRISK AT CAPITAL'S SPYBAZAAR [Mail Today (India)](Mail Today (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) UNION minister Nitin Gadkari's house may or may not have been bugged, but the private lives of lesser mortals are no longer guarded from the prying eyes. Inexpensive spywarehas flooded the Capital's sordid underbelly. For a sum as low as ` 2,000, one can buy a pair of spectacles, a car key, a SIM card or a USB drive which all double up as listening devices. It does not matter whether you are a corporate rival, political informer, private detective, a jilted lover or simply a voyeur, new technology is available to assist you in accomplishing the ' mission'. M AIL T ODAY explored the city's famous electronic markets — Palika Bazaar, Gaffar Market and Nehru Place — and found a flourishing spyware business. Tiny cameras and recorders were always available, but the gadgetry has only improved with time. The devices have not only become more sophisticated now, but are also better disguised. Dealers claimed that the range of spy cameras available is vast and can cost between ` 800 and ` 20,000, depending on the product and its features. There are even 20 megapixel cameras which have both audio and video recording facilities and good memory capacity and can cost about ` 10,000. T HIS correspondent approached the dealers posing as a corporate buyer and they laid down several different varieties on the table and did not hesitate to demonstrate the features. A shopkeeper said that a spycam in the form of sunglasses and a SIM card device are the new varieties and few know about them. " You can take pen or key rings or even watches. But the pair of sunglasses is unique. It has two cameras and additional audio device which record all the activities. Moreover, its focus is very good," said a shopkeeper at Palika Bazaar quoting its price at ` 1,800. Fancy as well as plain eyeglasses are also available for different prices depending on their utility. The cameras installed inside these are tiny, but have high resolution as well as depth of field. The most interesting item by far is what Palika's electronic hustlers call the SIM camera. It's a tiny box about the size of a matchbox and its applications have no limit. " One can put a mobile SIM card inside it and leave it wherever the sting is to be conducted. After calling on that number from anywhere, it gets activated and records video and audio of the entire room area as tiny cameras are installed on every side and send it to the calling mobile phone," said another shopkeeper. Spy cameras installed inside mangal sutras, necklaces, earrings, iPods and various other fashion accessories and electronic devices costs between ` 8,000 and ` 50,000 depending upon the range and focus of the cameras. Dealers said that the demand for such gadgets has gone up in the last two years. " Nobody says why they are purchasing it, but the sale has gone up. These days we are selling 15- 20 gadgets every day," said a dealer at Gaffar market. Shopkeepers said that former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's message to the people to conduct sting operation on corrupt officials had also pushed the sales early this year. (c) 2014 India Today Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |