Spy pens, eggs on toast and a side of alleged corruption: PI spills the beans to ICAC

September 23, 2026 — 5:00am

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“Eggs on toast” and “a regular soy cap” were among the few audible things a private investigator secretly recorded while on a covert operation targeting the then-mayor of Strathfield at Deli Fresh cafe in December 2022.

Recording devices disguised as pens and cameras placed outside a block of flats were just some of the colourful details of the evidence given by private eye Shane De Kauwe at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Tuesday.

His months of surveillance of mayor Matthew Blackmore have formed an allegation of potential blackmail and breaches of the Surveillance Devices Act levelled at former Strathfield councillor Sharangan Maheswaran, who hired De Kauwe.

According to the blurb promoting the Homebush cafe Deli Fresh, “the hum of casual chatter mixes gently with the soft clinks of cups and plates … it’s a spot........

© The Age