Ghazal Srinivas Arrested In Sexual Harassment Case

Noted singer Ghazal Srinivas was arrested by the Punjagutta police today for allegedly sexually harassing a woman.

According to sources, the 29-year-old complainant, who was an employee at the AalayaVani Web Radio Company run by Srinivas, approached the police last week alleging that the well-known singer had been harassing her for sexual favours for over a year.

Following a thorough scrutiny of the proofs produced by the aggrieved woman, the Punjagutta police registered a non-bailable offence case under Section 354A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) of the IPC, and arrested him.

The cops produced the accused before the Nampally Court today, where the magistrate remanded him to 14 days in judicial custody.

Immediately upon the magistrate passing the order of judicial remand, the singer's defence lawyers moved a bail petition. After hearing both sides, the magistrate rejected the bail petition.

With this, the police shifted Ghazal Srinivas to the Chanchalguda central jail where he will be lodged until further decisions on the case.

Speaking to the media at the police station, the singer flat-out denied the charges saying that he had never indulged in such amorous advances. He claimed that in the absence of a masseuse the girl had offered to massage his body herself.

"I never had any wrong intention as I treated the girl as my own daughter," he claimed.

However, the police disputed his claims saying that the messages and videos produced by the complainant clearly established the fact that the singer had forcibly kissed her and demanded that she massage him. They also said that the victim, who had been working at the radio station since June 2017, was mentally disturbed after being harassed by the singer. In one of the proofs produced by the victim, the accused was reportedly shown threatening to remove the victim from the job if she did not submit to his whims.