Actor booked for molesting small-time producer

MUMBAI: A 48-year-old actor is booked for allegedly molesting a 32-year-old woman after inviting her to his house under the pretext of collaborating on Tuesday.

According to the police, the victim runs a small production house in her house in Goregaon, from where she posts reels and short videos on social media. She received messages on Facebook from an account with the actor’s name and photo used in its profile. “Seeing no reason as to why the actor would want to get in touch with her, she initially assumed it was a fake profile. However, she later asked the person chatting with her to get on a video call with her. To her surprise, it was the actor himself,” said an officer from Khar police station.

The actor allegedly told her to meet him at his office in Khar to discuss about shooting. The woman went to the address given by him at around 5.30pm. He instructed her to come to the third floor, added the police. It was not an office but his residence. After she reached, a senior citizen opened the door. When she inquired about the actor, he called her directly to his bedroom. Upon opening the bedroom door, she found him naked. He insisted on her getting inside the bedroom. She told him she was uncomfortable, but he forcefully pulled her inside and touched her inappropriately. The woman managed to flee out of his house. “When she reached home, she received abusive messages from the actor. The next day, she approached the police to complain and an FIR was registered against the actor,” said the officer.

He added that they have booked the actor under sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. “We have already summoned the actor,” said the officer.