Bappi Lahiri’s bodyguard accused of molestation

A 36-year-old man, working as a private bodyguard for Bollywood musician and singer Bappi Lahiri, was arrested for allegedly molesting, threatening and abusing a woman in public in Jogeshwari area on Thursday night. The accused is said to have been under the influence of alcohol.

According to the Oshiwara police, the accused has been identified as Kapil Marwadi, a resident of Patel Estate in Jogeshwari (west). Marwadi and a group of his friends were passing by from Vaishali Nagar in Dhotre compound area on Wednesday when he got into a heated argument with some children who were bursting firecrackers as part of Diwali celebrations.

At this time two women, a 27-year-old and a 35-year-old, whose children were part of the group that was bursting firecrackers, intervened and defended them.

This led to a heated argument between Marwadi and the women. Next day, around 8.30 pm Marwadi was passing by the area in an inebriated state and got into a heated argument over the same issue with the women after which he allegedly touched the 35-year-old woman inappropriately, as per the FIR.

The complainant also said that Marwadi had pulled off her stole. The police control room was alerted and a police van was sent to the spot.

Marwadi was picked up by the Oshiwara police and brought to the police station where an FIR was registered against him under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Senior police inspector Subhash Khanvilkar of Oshiwara police station said, “He was produced before a magistrate’s court and was sent to judicial custody.”