Woman alleges rape after being lured with promise of film role via Instagram

A 20 year old woman from Dharashiv has alleged that she was lured with the promise of a role in a film and a career in Bollywood, and was then assaulted. According to her complaint, a man who had built a presence on Instagram had introduced himself as a singer from the film industry and assured her of a chance to act.

The complaint alleges that her personal photographs were taken in the name of an audition and she was later threatened with their misuse. Naigaon police have registered a case against four people in connection with the matter, and the case has been transferred to Anandnagar police station in Dharashiv for further investigation.

According to the complaint, the woman from Dharashiv came into contact with Jatin Doshi, a resident of Kandivali, on Instagram in August. Doshi allegedly introduced himself as a singer from the film industry and promised to get her work in a film. The woman, who wanted to work in acting, trusted him. Doshi then conducted her audition over video call. She told police that he asked her for personal photographs, saying a particular kind of look was needed for the role in the film. The complaint alleges that these photographs were later misused.

On 16 September, Doshi called the woman to Borivali. The complaint alleges that her Aadhaar card details were then altered and she was taken to a hotel in the area covered by Naigaon police station. She has stated in her complaint that she was assaulted there after being threatened that the earlier photographs would be made viral. The complaint also states that after this she was asked to meet three more men, but she refused and returned to Dharashiv. She has alleged that she then received threats from people linked to the matter.

The woman approached Naigaon police stating that she was receiving threats from Jatin Doshi and Anand Mudaliar. Following her complaint, police recorded the entire incident and began investigating. Details of contact made on social media, phone conversations, contact made in the name of the audition, and related locations are being gathered.

Police have registered a case against Jatin Doshi, Minaz Rahman, Anand Mudaliar and Rishabh Doshi under rape and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. The case has been transferred to Anandnagar police station in Dharashiv for further investigation. The probe is examining the allegations in the complaint along with the role of those involved, digital evidence and other information gathered. The police investigation is expected to establish the actual sequence of events and the role of each accused. The identity of the survivor has been withheld throughout.