Ramesh saved the 30-second clip. The police were impressed. "This is clean evidence," the officer said. "We can identify his shoes, his jacket, even the tattoo on his arm." Within a week, the man—a known local thief—was caught. The police used the Zicom footage as primary evidence.

His friend, Anita, who owned a pharmacy down the street, suggested, "Ramesh, install a CCTV system. I put in a Zicom camera last year. It’s not just about catching thieves; it’s about stopping them."

But after a particularly bad week where a whole case of cooking oil vanished, he relented. He bought a single Zicom camera with night vision and motion detection. The local technician installed it above the counter, pointing at the snack aisle.