Man Catches Wife Cheating, Ends Up in Prison Himself

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — There are various ways to catch a cheating partner. One of them involved a man from Taiwan who discovered his wife with another man through the camera on his robot vacuum.

He had suspected his wife of having an affair since late 2023, when he found a used toothbrush at their holiday home.

He later identified an unknown man, caught on CCTV, escorting his wife home. The affair was then inadvertently exposed further three months later.

The husband activated the robot vacuum through the application on his smartphone, intending to use it to communicate with his wife.

Unexpectedly, however, the camera on the device showed his wife changing clothes and embracing the man who had previously appeared on the CCTV. The mysterious man was also seen relaxing on the sofa of the house, as quoted from Tech Spot on Thursday (3/9/2026).

Armed with the recording, the husband sued his wife and her lover. They were accused of violating marital rights under Taiwanese civil law, and he demanded compensation of US$68,000 (Rp 1.2 billion).

The court granted the claim, but the damages awarded were far lower, at US$16,000 (Rp 283.6 million).

Then the tables turned on the husband. His wife counter-sued him on the grounds that he had taken recordings of her and her affair without her consent.

She argued that the sensors and lights on the robot vacuum were not sufficient warning that recording was taking place.

The court ruled that the husband’s actions were still unlawful, and that marital obligations do not override the matter of individual privacy rights. The man was sentenced to five months in prison and fined NT$150,000 (Rp 8.4 million).

Opinion on social media has been divided over the case. Some are angry at the court’s decision, whilst others argue there is no justification for breaking the law.