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Udaipur Police say both were part of same ad crew, probe ongoing.
Accused Siddharth made the claim while being taken for legal proceedings. (IMAGE: ANI)
Siddharth, the Udaipur resident accused of raping a French female tourist who had come to visit the city, is now claiming that he was “honey trapped” by the victim. He made the claim when he was being escorted by the Rajasthan Police officials for legal proceedings.
“Mere saath honeytrap hua hai sir (I have been honey trapped),” he told the reporters before being hushed by the policemen accompanying him.
Pushpraj Ojha aka Siddharth was arrested from his residence in Chittorgarh and the tourist had claimed in her first information report (FIR) that he lured her there in the pretext of showing her the sights around the city and then raped her. She was attending a party and the accused had lured her from there to his apartment on Monday (June 23) when the incident happened.
The survivor met the accused at a party at The Greek Farm Cafe and Restro located at Tiger Hill.
The accused claims that he is part of a larger conspiracy. “I didn’t rape her… It’s a conspiracy that has been hatched against me by some industry people as I am an outsider. I was going to surrender only when the police picked me up today,” he had said, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
“Prima facie, the victim had been working for several Indian brands as a background dancer and actor for a long time. She came to Udaipur on Sunday to shoot for a leading electronics brand. Siddharth was part of the same crew,” Udaipur superintendent of police (SP) Yogesh Goyal was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
In the FIR, the Frenchwoman allegedly repeatedly requested to return to her hotel, but Siddharth allegedly dismissed them. She also claimed that her phone was out of charge.
She alleged that once both were inside the apartment the accused attempted to initiate physical contact and upon facing resistance, he allegedly assaulted her sexually. She then admitted herself to a private hospital and later lodged a police complaint.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
- Location :
Udaipur, India, India
- First Published: