Man held for alleged rape of French woman in Udaipur
The 29-year-old accused is a casting director and has been identified as Pushpraj Ojha alias Siddharth, a resident of Gangrar in Chittorgarh district.
He was nabbed from Chittorgarh highway early Wednesday morning.
According to Udaipur SP Yogesh Goyal, the rape was committed on the night of June 22 when the French woman, who had arrived from Delhi by bus in the morning of the same day, was in the city for a shoot near Pichola Lake and Sajjangarh Fort. The assault allegedly took place after a dinner party at a local restaurant, where Ojha, under the pretence of offering a smoke, took the woman to his car and subsequently to his apartment.
The woman reported the matter to the Badgaon police on the night of June 23 and her statement was recorded in a court Wednesday.
The rape survivor, who has been in India for some time and frequently visits places for similar assignments, underwent a medical examination Tuesday.
Ojha, who has been living in Udaipur for eight years and runs Udaipur Casting Call, initially denied the allegations, claiming he was the victim of a "honey trap" and conspiracy.
However, police officials stated that he later confessed during questioning. SP Goyal confirmed that there was no prior contact between the accused and the French woman.
Given the gravity of the case, authorities have prioritised the investigation under the 'case officer scheme', aiming to file a chargesheet within seven days. The incident has sparked local protests, with Congress workers demonstrating at the collectorate against the BJP-led state govt and police handling of the case. Protesters tried to assault Ojha when he was being taken to the SP office.
Police are continuing their investigation to determine if there was anyone else involved in the crime, particularly from other collaborating companies from Jodhpur that were part of the shoot's organisation.
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