Stalking, voyeurism and being stopped from leaving
Repeated following or unwanted contact, watching or recording a private act, and obstructing a person's movement are different forms of harm with different legal elements. One event may involve more than one offence.
On this page
What this situation can include
- Stalking can involve following a woman and contacting or attempting contact repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest, or monitoring her internet, email or other electronic communication, subject to the statutory wording and exceptions.
- Voyeurism concerns watching or capturing an image of a woman engaged in a private act where privacy is expected, or disseminating such an image, within the statutory definition. Consent to capture does not necessarily mean consent to dissemination.
- Wrongful restraint concerns voluntarily obstructing a person so she cannot proceed in a direction she has a right to take. Wrongful confinement involves restraining within bounded limits. The exact facts distinguish them.
What this may mean
Describe the pattern and each act rather than choosing one label: following, calls, account monitoring, hidden camera, publication, blocked door, seized keys, threats or forced transport.
Stalking law includes stated exceptions for conduct pursued for preventing or detecting crime, under law or legal requirement, or conduct reasonable and justified in the circumstances. The person asserting an exception does not gain unlimited surveillance rights.
Domestic-violence protection, workplace measures, campus security or cybercrime reporting may be available alongside a criminal complaint depending on the relationship and setting.
If safety may be urgent
- If followed now, go to a staffed place rather than home and call 112 when danger is immediate. If confined, communicate your location discreetly if possible and avoid physical escalation where it increases risk.
- Tell relevant security staff not to disclose schedules or addresses and preserve access logs or CCTV before routine deletion.
Possible next steps
Build a connected timeline
Record dates, places, witnesses, numbers, account names, vehicle details, access attempts and exact boundaries communicated. Keep originals and complaint references.
Report the concrete conduct
Tell police about repetition, monitoring, hidden recording, dissemination, blocked movement, threats and access to home or work. Use the cybercrime portal for relevant online conduct.
Request access controls
Ask a workplace, college, housing security or platform for proportionate measures that restrict the actor rather than excluding the targeted person.
What may happen after seeking help or reporting
- Police may assess separate or connected offences and seek messages, device information, access logs, witnesses, CCTV or location evidence.
- An institution may preserve records, change access permissions and provide escort or no-contact arrangements without deciding criminal guilt.
- A court determines whether the legal elements and required mental state are proved; labels used in ordinary conversation do not settle the charge.
Important limits and cautions
- One unwanted contact is not always statutory stalking, but may be threatening or part of another offence. Preserve the wider context.
- Do not expose yourself to further following or confinement to create evidence or obtain an admission.
- Blocking accounts and changing routes reduce some access but do not replace an offline safety plan where the actor knows physical locations.
Words a supporter can use
Helping someone explain a pattern
“Let us list the following, messages, monitoring, recordings and any times your movement was blocked. You do not have to meet or warn the person. We can protect your schedule, save the original records and report the specific acts.”
What institutions must do
Assess connected acts and escalation
- Do not dismiss events one by one; record immediate access, threats and confinement risks and preserve time-sensitive evidence.
Act on monitoring and voyeuristic content reports
- Provide clear reporting, preserve relevant records lawfully and avoid requiring unnecessary republication of intimate material.
Related issue guides
Sources and publication record
Reviewed and approved by the project team · Sources checked . Reviewed and approved by the project team against the official sources listed on this page. This is general legal information, not advice for an individual proceeding.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023India Code, Legislative Department
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023India Code, Legislative Department
- Information Technology Act, 2000India Code, Legislative Department
- National Cyber Crime Reporting PortalIndian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005India Code, Legislative Department
- Emergency Response Support System 112Ministry of Home Affairs