A well-known actress has accused filmmaker and actor Aditya Pancholi of ‘drugging, raping and blackmailing’ her.
In the two-and-a-half page statement submitted to the Versova police late last month, which were accessed by a leading media organisation, the actress reportedly wrote about how she came to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a popular artiste. She also said that she was a minor when during the ordeal. “That year, I met Aditya Pancholi, who was then 38 years old, almost 22 years older than me. I used to stay at a hostel with a group of girls while he was married and had two children; his daughter was my age then,” she wrote.
The actress said that ‘he promised to share a husband-wife relationship with her’. “In 2004, I went to a party with him. Sometime after having a drink, I started feeling dizzy. I suspected then that he (Pancholi) had spiked my drink. After the party got over, Pancholi said he will drop me home. So I went with him in his Range Rover car. He stopped it in the middle of Yari Road and started getting forcefully physical with me. He also took photographs, which I wasn’t aware of. When we met the next time, he said we now share a relationship like the one between a husband and wife and we will live that way. I told him he was my father’s age and I want to marry someone who is as old as me. Then, he showed me all the photographs he’d taken of me inside his car and started blackmailing me. He threatened to show these pictures to others. At the time, I was quite young, I had no one in Mumbai and he took advantage of that,” she reportedly wrote.
She added that between 2004-2006, he continued to have a forceful relationship with her, while also trying to spike her drinks. He also reportedly blackmailed her with the photographs he clicked of her and asked for money. “He used to take my photos to blackmail and threaten me. Once, I was going to file a complaint against him, but he stopped my autorickshaw and beat me up; I was rescued by a pedestrian who saw me getting thrashed. At the time, I met and informed senior police officer Bipin Bihari about the incident. Between 2004 to 2005, I shifted to Pallavi Apartment with my aunt. Pancholi would come to that flat all the time with his friends and get forcefully physical with me. Every time, he would carry some medicine to spike my drinks. I used to feel dizzy after having them. He locked me in whenever he left my apartment. He would also assault me. He would give me drugs and click my photos; at the time, he used to get MDMA and ecstasy.”
She also said that he hit the actress’ sister. “Between 2008 and 2009, I shifted to Bandra. My sister, who was unwell then, came to my house and we were living together. When I was away at a shoot, he came to my house and beat up my sister. When I returned home, I saw my sister was shivering and completely scared. I asked her what happened and she told me about how Pancholi had beaten her up. Then, I called him up to ask why he was troubling us, to which he started demanding money from me, saying that [I should pay] whatever he has spent on me. He asked for Rs 1 crore. In fact, I paid Rs 50 lakh and he stopped troubling us for a bit.”
The actress reportedly said that Pancholi began to demand money from her, once she became famous and people started to recognise her. “Once I got famous and people began recognising me, Pancholi once again started demanding money by blackmailing me with the photographs. I have the threatening messages he sent to my sister and brother. Pancholi kept threatening to send the photos to my friends, family and relatives to destroy my career.”
The Dindoshi Sessions Court on Tuesday granted interim relief against arrest to Pancholi till July 19 in connection with the rape case, on a personal bond of Rs 30,000 and other conditions. The Versova Police registered an FIR against Pancholi under sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence), 384 (extortion), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC on Friday (June 28).
Pancholi has denied all allegations.