(Image source from: thenewsminute.com)

A Kannada film distributor has been accused and arrested over sexual harassment allegations by the Nandini Layout police. The film distributor is from Australia. The accused was charged by a NRI woman of blackmailing her for taking private videos.

He has also taken 6 lakhs from the victim by blackmailing her.

In an issued statement, a senior police officer stated saying, “The accused, Roopesh, was arrested on Friday after he followed the woman from Melbourne to Bengaluru and started harassing her here.”

The NRI woman, after being tired with the constant harassment came forward to lodge the complaint with the police to take further stern actions against the issue. The police team later arrested Roopesh from a hotel near J.P. Park, Yeshwantpur.

The charges of allegation against him are that of extortion and outraging the modesty of a woman.

The DCP of the North Division, Shashi Kumar stated saying, “Roopesh is a film distributor for well-known Kannada and other South Indian language films in Melbourne. That is where he met the woman, who was living with her husband and children.”

The two of them have been reported to have exchanged their numbers and later met in a restaurant where the victim’s drink was spiked by the accused. He then went on to take indecent and compromising videos of the victim and started blackmailing her with them.

An officer further clarified saying, “In her statement, the woman said he started blackmailing her and demanding sexual favours. He threatened to post the videos on social media.”

With fear etched in the beginning, the victim ended up paying the accused INR 6 lakhs to stop the blackmailing. For escaping the wrath, the victim stayed with her in-laws in Bengaluru but Roopesh ended up following her there as well.

He arrived on February 22, 2020 to Bengaluru and kept harassing the victim following which she finally lodged the complaint.

By Somapika Dutta