A 51-year-old businesswoman from Mahalaxmi has accused a man and his associates of sexually assaulting and threatening her at gunpoint inside a private company’s office last year.
According to police, the incident occurred on 17 January 2023. The woman initially approached the Pydhonie police station, after which the complaint was transferred to the NM Joshi Marg police for further investigation.
Officers have registered an FIR against six accused under IPC sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault with intent to disrobe), 324 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons), along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act and the Information Technology Act. The investigation is currently underway. Police said they are examining CCTV footage, call records, and digital evidence as part of the probe.
In her statement, the woman, who runs a photo-frame and gifting business, said she received a call from one Manish Honavar, asking her to visit the office of M/s Franco Indian Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. in Mahalaxmi.
When she reached the premises, she alleged that one of the men struck her on the shoulder and back with the butt of a revolver. She further claimed that the prime accused, identified as Joy John Pascal Postel, then took her into his cabin, pointed a gun at her, and ordered her to remove her burkha.
“He pointed the gun straight at me and told me to take off my burkha,” the complainant told police. She alleged that Postel and others then stripped and molested her, hurled abuses, and threatened to record videos and photographs of her. “They said they would put the videos online if I resisted,” she stated in her complaint.
