Mumbai Crime: Man working for a political party arrested for molesting actress

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The Amboli police have nabbed a molester who was on the run for more than a month. A TV actress had approached the Amboli police on February 13, saying a man, identified as Vishwanath Shetty, who works for a political party, had molested her in a gym. She said on the day of the incident, she had an argument with Shetty when she met him at the gym, as he had sent lewd messages to her female friend. The actress alleged that instead of apologising for his act, Shetty touched her inappropriately and also sought sexual favour.

He was booked under Sections 354 (sexual harassment) and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of Indian Penal Code. Shetty immediately applied for bail which was rejected by a court on February 14. To evade arrest, Shetty then just slipped out of Mumbai.

Investigating police officer Daya Nayak said Shetty had hid in Karnataka. They learnt that he was arriving in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. A trap was laid and he was nabbed on Wednesday morning.

Nayak said, "We strongly opposed Shetty's bail so that he could be put behind bars and prosecuted properly." He was produced before a court and remanded in one-day police custody. A police source said he might have come to Mumbai to approach a higher court for interim relief to avoid arrest. DCP Paramjit Singh Dahiya said the investigation is on.

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