Filmmaker Shakeel Noorani, 73, is arrested by Malvani Police in the early hours of August 8 over allegations of rape and repeated sexual assault against a 33-year-old actress. The case involves a complaint the actress files after meeting Noorani at an awards event in Lokhandwala in 2016 and later visiting his Malvani residence for a script. Police register a case under specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Noorani is produced before a court for further investigation.
According to the actress’s FIR, she claims Noorani gives her a drink, after which she becomes unconscious. She further alleges that when she regains consciousness, he shows her a video on his phone and threatens to circulate it if she approaches police or informs her family. The complaint says he uses the purported video to intimidate her and sexually assaults her repeatedly across multiple occasions. The actress also alleges Noorani repeatedly gives her contraceptive pills following the encounters.
Noorani’s lawyer denies the allegations, saying they are unproven and that Noorani is presumed innocent while the investigation continues. Times of India reports police trace Noorani to a Satara farmhouse before arrest, while both outlets say a court remands him in police custody until August 12 to recover and examine the alleged video and investigate other locations.
