FAIRFAX COUNTY, Virginia — Detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying victims from video recordings found on the phone of 39-year-old Mumtaz Rauf. Rauf was arrested December 24th for the unlawful filming of a minor at the Forever 21 store in Fair Oaks Mall.
Officers were called to the Forever 21 clothing store based on a complaint by a customer. A teenage girl saw a black device such as camera or cell phone pointing down from the wall of her dressing room, and she believed photographs were possibly being taken. A man was then seen exiting the store headed into the mall by an employee of the store. Officers ultimately located the man the employee described in the fitting room of the H&M clothing store and identified him as Rauf. He was wearing a black jacket, red knit beanie, khaki pants and red shoes, which matched the description provided by the store employee. He had a pinhole camera, black tape, and a battery powered Bluetooth transmitter that officers believe he was using to remotely gather video and pictures from various fitting rooms.
Detectives have been working diligently since Rauf’s arrest to identify the victims, as well as the stores where the unlawful recordings took place. So far, police found approximately 60 female victims on over 100 videos in fitting rooms from Rauf’s cell phone, with several of them appearing to be juveniles. The videos we’ve recovered were taken between December 15th and December 24th. Police say some of the recordings took place at Forever 21 and H&M at Fair Oaks Mall. They also believe some of the videos may have been taken at the Fair Lakes Old Navy.
So far the locations and approximate time frames we have been able to identify are:
December 22, 2018:
1:15pm – 2:10pm, Fair Lakes Old Navy
2:50pm – 3:20pm, Fair Oaks Mall H&M
3:40pm – 4:15pm, Fair Oaks Mall Forever 21
4:25pm – 5:45pm, Fair Oaks Mall H&M
December 24, 2018:
12:30pm – 2:00pm, Fair Oaks Mall Forever 21 and H&M
There is also a time period from 9:15pm-10:00pm on December 22 where police believe he was possibly at the H&M and Old Navy at Tysons Corner Center.
There were other inappropriate video recordings found on Rauf’s phone, including several videos where he secretly filmed up a woman’s skirt. Detectives continue to analyze evidence in an effort to positively identify all the victims and the locations where the crimes occurred. They are also working to process 13 additional pieces of electronics including laptops, desktops, and tablets. The Neighborhood Patrol Unit is canvassing Fair Oaks Mall and Tysons Corner Center to see if employees recognize Rauf. They are also investigating whether illegal images have been shared or placed on the internet. Rauf is currently behind bars with no bond on unrelated drug charges.
Police have set up a dedicated phone line at 703-246-4600 for anyone who thinks they may have been filmed by Rauf in a fitting room between December 15th and December 24th.
