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    Karan Oberoi case: Woman who had accused the actor of rape held for criminal conspiracy

    Synopsis

    The 34-yr-old had filed false information in a second FIR about a threat received to drop the case.

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    Oberoi spent over a month in jail before Bombay HC granted him bail, after significantly observing that prima facie the chats exchanged between the actor and his rape accuser “casts a doubt on the veracity of the FIR (against him)”.
    The Oshiwara police on Monday arrested a 34-year-old woman who had on May 4 accused television actor Karan Oberoi of rape. She was held for alleged criminal conspiracy and filing false information in a second FIR on May 25 about an assault and threat received to drop the case against the actor.

    The arrest comes a week after police had assured Bombay high court that they would take “appropriate action’’ against her for allegedly conspiring to stage the assault on herself. Police produced her before a night magistrate and asked for her to be sent to judicial custody as investigation showed she had filed a false case of the “staged attack”. She was granted bail. She denied she had anything to do with the assault conspiracy.

    She had alleged in the second FIR that she was out on morning walk when she was attacked with a paper cutter by two bikers and was given a chit, saying “Take the case back”. Senior police officer Shailesh Pasalwar told TOI: “We have arrested the woman based on technical evidence and also the confession statements of the four youths and her ex-lawyer… We are collecting more evidence. The woman has been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections for 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 182 (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) and 203 (giving false information).”

    While seeking bail for her, the woman’s lawyer Mansha Bhatia said her client was cooperating with police. “As my client had nothing to hide, we never felt the need to seek anticipatory bail. She has always cooperated with the police and always been upfront and fearless while dealing with the case,” she said, adding: “Investigation will soon reveal that my client is a victim and had nothing to do with this matter.” Police had arrested the four alleged attackers on May 30, and learnt from them that one of them is related to her former lawyer Ali Kaasif Khan and was asked by him to stage the attack. Khan surrendered to police on June 3, and denied the charge. Khan alleged he was being framed and it was the woman who had hatched the attack plan.
    Untitled-1Agencies

    The remand application against the woman says when her lawyer was arrested he said the attack plan was discussed by her with his cousin who is one of the alleged assailants, Altamash Ansari, on May 24, one day prior to the attack. On June 5, she wrote to the police denying her lawyer’s accusation as “absolutely false’’. There was “absolutely no reasons for me to ever do so’’… “even on wrong advice of any advocate”, she had told the police. So far, five people, including the lawyer, have been arrested and released on bail. Police say there is now one more suspect who they are looking for in this case.

    Oberoi was arrested on May 5. He spent over a month in jail before Bombay HC granted him bail, after significantly observing that prima facie the chats exchanged between the actor and his rape accuser “casts a doubt on the veracity of the FIR (against him)”.

    Assistant public prosecutor S V Gavand had on June 7 informed Justice Revati Mohite-Dere of Bombay HC that the “second FIR lodged on May 25, is found to be false”.

    The prosecutor had also said, investigation in the second FIR reveals that the attack on the complainant was staged by the complainant herself in connivance with her lawyer and others. “In fact, investigation reveals that the complainant herself staged her own attack, the obvious reason being to ensure that the applicant (Oberoi) is not released on bail,” Justice Mohite-Dere had observed in her order of bail to Oberoi.


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