Colaba Police arrested a 53-year-old lawyer and film maker from Colaba on charges of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old college student. The filmmaker promised giving a break to the girl in modelling and fashion industry.
The police arrested him under IPC sections 354A (assault or criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty) and under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused will be produced before the special POCSO court on Saturday.
The POCSO Act was enacted to protect children from sexual offences. The POCSO Act and its corresponding rules were enacted with the objective of protecting children from a slew of sexual offences and introducing chil-friendly judicial mechanisms for dealing with such offences. Consequently, a child of any gender who has been sexually wronged has access to the remedies provided under the act. The legislation introduced a minimum jail term of 20 years or for the entire life and death penalty in rarest of rare cases.
The accused is an independent editor, legal counsel and documentary film maker. According to the victim girl, On January 7, the girl along with her mother was in a pizzeria to celebrate her uncle’s birthday, the man approached them and complimented the girl on her looks and said that he could make a career for her in the glamour world.
He then shared his mobile number and asked the mother of the girl to meet him in his office which was situated at the Pasta Lanes in Colaba.
The girl along with her mother went to the office of the accused, he then showed them pictures of successful models and promised a bright future of the girl if she joins him. He said that the girl would bring them prosperity and make a great career in fashion industry. The girl and her mother agreed to join the man in making a career of the girl in the modelling industry.
On January 9, the girl reached the office of the man, he asked her to try different outfits. After some time the girl found something fishy. She finally realised that the man had installed CCTV cameras in both changing rooms she had been asked to use.
The mother of the girl filed a complaint in Colaba Police station. The complaint mentioned that the man asked the girl to get on his scooter and took her to various shoot locations. The man also asked her about the specific sizes of her bosom and other body parts.
The Colaba Police arrested the man and seized CCTV footages found in his office.