#MenToo: Karan Oberoi's lawyer slams Mumbai Police's shoddy probe, questions 'preferential treatment'

A day after the arrest of actor Karan Oberoi's rape accuser in connection with a second "false" FIR she filed later of an alleged assault and threat to her, his lawyer has written to Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Barve, DCP of the region and senior inspector Shailesh Pasalwar, who is heading Oshiwara police station which is probing the case, questioning their "pathetic investigation" into the "staged attack."
On Oberoi's instruction, his lawyer Dinesh Tiwari sought explanation from the police for their "shoddy probe" and for "why the First Informant/accused has been given preferential treatment and why the remand application was worded in the manner so as to benefit" her.

Oshiwara police on Monday said it had arrested the 34-year-old woman for alleged criminal conspiracy, along with five others, of staging a self-assault and then coming to the police station on May 25 to register a false case to ensure Oberoi didn't get bail from the Bombay high court and to derive support for a #MeToo agitation.

Police had then produced her before a night magistrate and sought judicial custody. The magistrate released her on bail. Earlier, the other five arrested, including her former lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan, were also granted bail almost immediately.


Tiwari on Tuesday, in his letter emailed to police, said Oberoi, 44, "wishes to place on record the mysterious manner in which the woman was arrested and produced before the Court...so as to ensure that she gets bail." It said in her second May 25 assault FIR "against unknown person, impression was sought to be created as if the assailants were connected with my client."

Tiwari said when he learnt of her arrest and that she was taken to Andheri court on Monday, he had "rushed to the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court so as to oppose any attempt... towards seeking bail." He said he was "not allowed" by police present there to "even read contents of remand application."

"In fact, the concerned PSI allowed the lawyer for the First Informant/Accused to read the contents of the Remand Application," the letter stated. Tiwari says the PSI then "clandestinely" removed the woman to "an undisclosed location," adding that when asked, Pasalwar said he was "also not aware about their location."

Tiwari said he received "no information" from policemen when he asked where the arrested woman was and only later at night, he became aware a magistrate had granted her bail. "It was shocking to know the manner in which the details were hidden," his letter said.