Television actor Ashish Kapoor has been taken into custody on rape charges after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in a washroom during a house party in Delhi earlier in August.
According to Indian Express, DCP (North) Raja Banthia confirmed the arrest and said Kapoor was traced and detained in Pune on Wednesday.
Police tracked Ashish Kapoor across states
According to investigators, after registering the case, police teams followed Kapoor’s trail from Delhi to Goa and eventually to Pune, where he was apprehended.
The initial complaint, as per The Indian Express, alleged that Kapoor, the host of the party, and two unidentified men had raped the woman, and another woman had physically assaulted her. She later revised her statement, accusing only Kapoor of rape.
Officers told the publication that the investigation is ongoing, and charges of gang rape will be replaced with charges of rape once formalities are completed.
Allegations of video evidence
The complainant also alleged that the assault had been filmed, but police stated that no such footage has been found so far.
As per officials, Kapoor and the woman had connected on Instagram before he invited her to his friend’s residence for a party, where the alleged incident occurred.
Timeline of FIR and statements
Police records show that an FIR was filed on August 11 against Kapoor, his friend, his friend’s wife, and two unidentified men.
On August 18, the woman submitted another statement, alleging that Kapoor and his friend raped her while the friend’s wife hit her. Days later, on August 21, Kapoor’s friend and his wife were granted anticipatory bail. The complainant attended the hearing but did not name Kapoor’s friend in her submissions.
CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts
CCTV footage and witness testimonies, according to investigating officers, show that Kapoor and the woman entered the washroom together. When they didn’t emerge, guests began knocking on the door.
An altercation reportedly followed, spilling over to the gate of the residential complex, where the complainant claimed the friend’s wife struck her. Police said it was the wife who eventually called the PCR to report the incident.