I unintentionally touched Hamid: Luke to police

Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach, arrested on charges of molesting an American woman, has told police that he “unintentionally” touched the victim, investigators claimed today as another cricketer whose name cropped up during probe recorded his statement. K P Appanna, the teammate of Pomersbach, recorded his statement during which he denied allegations that he tried to barge into the room of the victim with the Australian cricketer. [caption id=“attachment_316730” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Pomersbach was arrested on Friday after the victim alleged that he molested her and hit her fiance. PTI”]  [/caption] Investigators claimed that Pomersbach told them that he “unintentionally touched her and was under the influence of alcohol” when the incident took place. Pomersbach or his lawyer could not be contacted for comments. Pomersbach was arrested on Friday after Zohal Hamid alleged that he molested her and hit her fiance Sahil Peerzada when he objected to the cricketer’s behaviour. Peerzada was punched in his ear following which he had to undergo a surgery. Police sources said that the name of Appanna cropped up in the case after he was identified in a CCTV footage. He was seen accompanying Pomersbach to the room of the victim. Police sources said the 23-year-old left-arm spinner denied that he tried to force into the room of Hamid and Peerzada as alleged. He also denied the allegations that he threatened Hamid to withdraw the case against Pomersbach, they said. However, sources claimed he told police that he accompanied Pomersbach when he went to the victim’s room for the second time. A senior police official earlier said they had examined the CCTV footages and identified Appanna. “We had spoken to him earlier. Now, his statement has been recorded,” the official said. Hamid had alleged that some team members of Luke had pressurised her to withdraw the case against Pomersbach. On Appanna, a senior police official said, “We have examined the CCTV footages and identified Appanna. We have spoken to him. We are yet to formally question him.” Appanna, who plays for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy, could Appanna, who plays for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy, could not be contacted for his comments. On the sequence of events, the official said, when the alleged incident took place there were five persons – Peerzada, Hamid, Sahil’s friends Moiz and Miraj, and Pomersbach. Pomersbach returned to the victim’s room after he allegedly misbehaved with her. “When Pomersbach came for the second time, Appanna was with him,” the official said. Appanna had come to ask whether Sidhartha was there in the room, the official said, adding Hamid had also corroborated it. Investigators said they have also recorded the statement of Peerzada’s friend Moiz. Asked about Hamid’s allegations that Pomersbach’s teammates were pressurising her to withdraw the complaint, the official said police was not ruling out the possibility. Meanwhile, Peerzada was today discharged from hospital. He claimed that he had asked Pomersbach to leave his hotel room after he allegedly molested his fiancee but they got into a brawl when the cricketer punched him. “I am feeling a little unwell,” Peerzada, a model-turned Mumbai businessman, told reporters. “He (Pomersbach) misbehaved with her (Zohal). That’s it. I politely asked him to leave. He did not,” he said. Detailing the sequence of events, Peerzada claimed that the cricketer invited him to his room but he declined as he was tired. “He followed us to our room. My friend opened the door. We went inside and within five minutes time, if I am not wrong, he misbehaved. “And you know, how the guys are like. I asked him politely, ‘Luke, please leave’. He did not and pushed me. So that’s how the brawl happened,” he told Headlines Today. Asked whether his friends who were in the room retaliated when he was punched allegedly by Pomersbach, he said, “yes, they did. We got into a fight. That thing happened. It’s the guys thing, you know…,” he said. PTI