The Indian-American community in Upstate New York is in a state of shock with the charges filed recently against one of its own. Prakash G. Rajyaguru, a long-time member and volunteer at the Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York, was arrested earlier this month for using hidden cameras to observe and record young girls.
“After a lengthy investigation into the unlawful surveillance of young females, where hidden cameras were placed to observe and record female victims, Amherst Police Special Victims Unit Detectives Cindy Herberger and Mark Pitirri arrested Prakash G. Rajyaguru age 46 of Williamsville, New York,” a statement dated Oct. 6 on the Amhert Police Department’s Facebook page reads.
Rajyaguru is charged with second degree unlawful surveillance and endangering the welfare of a minor, The Buffalo News reported. Rajyaguru was released on a $50,000 bail. The case is expected to be presented to an Erie County grand jury for review.
Rajyaguru, an IT consultant at a local firm is currently living in his Williamsville, New York, home with his parents, WIBV News 4 reported. His wife and children have moved away to New Jersey to stay with the wife’s parents, the news channel said.
Amherst Police Department detectives working on the case refused to share details of the investigation with Desi Talk, as the case is ongoing. However Lt. Joseph A. LaCorte told Desi Talk that investigations like this “take time,” and encouraged anyone with additional information to contact the police.
Puzzled and Shocked
Members of the Getzville -based temple are puzzled and shocked to learn of the arrest. Rajyaguru’s arraignment in Amherst Town Court followed a month-long investigation, after police determined he was allegedly using hidden cameras to view and record young girls ages 11 to 14, WGRZ Channel 2 reported.
Messages left to temple authorities were not returned by press time.
Dr. Kailash Lall, president of the Hindu Society told The Buffalo News that Rajyaguru betrayed the trust of temple members and his friends and is no longer allowed on temple grounds.
“We want to make sure that everyone understands he will not be coming back,” he said. “We are really sorry that one of our members did this to the community,” Lall told WIBV. Locks have also been changed on the buildings and there are no more hidden cameras, he added.
“We are deeply hurt,” temple member Dr. Bindukumar Nair told the news channel. “We trusted him and he just cheated us. We lost all faith in him now.”
“As a vibrant community association of Indian-Americans living in Buffalo, we are shocked and saddened by the news of criminal wrongdoing against women and children by Prakash Rajyaguru,” Brij Bansal, president of the India Association of Buffalo said in a statement on the group’s Facebook page. “We condemn his actions and exhort the community to come forward with any details to help the Police in their case against him.”
The group represents over 1,000 families with origins in the Indian Subcontinent living in Western New York and Niagara Frontier region, its website says. The association was formed over 30 years ago to promote culture from the Indian Subcontinent to our future generations and the local community.
Minor Girls
“He liked young girls,” Lt. LaCorte told The Buffalo News. “That age group seemed to pique his interest. We have an abundance of possible evidence that we are still are reviewing,” he said. Evidence collected so far by Amherst detectives includes a video that appears to have been recorded inside a changing area at the temple.
LaCorte told WGRZ that parents of one of the victims came forward after finding something suspicious looking in their rest room and they realized what it was. “It was just a portable little type camera, I guess what you might call a lipstick camera that he could just set down, record what he wanted, go right back in and grab it and no one would even realize it was there,” Lt. Lacorte said. As the investigation progressed detectives learned of another family that found a camera in their home.
At the Hindu temple, Rajyaguru was allegedly doing the same thing with images found of a back room behind a stage used for young girls and others to change into costumes for religious festivals or clothing for other events. Known for his information technology skills, Rajyaguru volunteered at a week-long summer camp held for children at the Hindu temple last summer and at social events throughout the year.
Dr. Kissore Devan told WIBV that Rajyaguru often helped out with audio visual tasks at the temple. “And because of his background of IT and everything else, he was very helpful whenever people needed some audio visual stuff and he came and helped,” Devan said.
Restoring Temple Safety
Temple authorities are now working to restore temple safety and regain the faith of the congregation. “We are really saddened. He was trusted and has broken our trust,” Lall said. “We are making every effort to keep our place safe and we hope this will not happen again.”
We want to convey to the community is that this place is as safe as before, Devan reiterated. “Please do not stop coming to the temple,” he urged to the local community. “Everything is checked out. Everything is clean, and we are going to hire professional people to periodically keep checking on it,” he said.
The temple was established in 2003 and caters to the areas Hindu community by hosting various religious, cultural and community event. Maha Kumbhabhishekam and Samprokshaman were performed in August this year. On its website, the temple says it aims to promote religious, cultural, educational and social activities which are consistent with the Hindu philosophy and practice.
The temple also provides opportunities for members to develop leadership skills, confidence and a positive self-image.