Aditya Pancholi booked for rape by Mumbai Police based on complaint by Bollywood actress

An FIR (First Information Report) has been filed under charges of rape against actor-producer Aditya Pancholi at the Versova police station in Mumbai, according to a report by India Today. An actress had filed a written complaint against him. The investigation has begun on the case but the police said that it would be difficult to gather evidence as the case is more than ten years old.

Aditya Pancholi. Image via twitter

In the complaint filed at Versova Police Station, Pancholi has been charged under Sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 384 (extortion), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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The actress had recorded her statement before the Versova Police earlier this week in support of her previous complaint against Pancholi.

According the complainant, the 54-year-old actor sexually assaulted her between 2004 and 2009, said police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singte. Pancholi also beat her up and confined her to his house whenever she tried to approach police during this period, the complaint said She also alleged that Pancholi demanded Rs 1 crore from her for not showing her private photographs to her family and friends, and claimed she paid him Rs 50 lakh.

Further probe is on and Pancholi has not been questioned yet, another police official said.

Reacting to the development, Pancholi, who starred in several Bollywood films in the 1990s, told Press Trust of India, "It is a false rape case that they were planning and now they have done it. I was anticipating this. This was pre-planned as I had filed a defamation case against them.

"It is not a small allegation, the law will take its course, I will fight out... the truth will come out."

The actress and her sister were recently summoned by Mumbai court in connection with defamation cases filed by Pancholi and his wife Zarina Wahab. While the cases against the actress are related to her interviews and statements made during a television show, those against her sister are related to comments made on social media. The matter is posted for further hearing on 26 July.

The actor has also had brushed with the law in the past. He was charged with allegedly assaulting a bouncer at a Mumbai nightclub 2015, but was acquitted by a Mumbai court. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence during the two-year term of the case.

Pancholi was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani.

(With inputs from agencies)