'Chennai Express' producer remanded to judicial custody in rape case

Hyderabad, Sep 24 Hindi film producer Karim Morani surrendered before the Hayatnagar police here late Friday night after the Supreme Court shot down his plea for bail in a case filed against him by his daughter’s friend alleging rape, cheating, and wrongful confinement.
On Saturday, the police took Morani to Osmania General Hospital on Saturday for medical tests and produced him in the Hayatnagar court.
The case was booked against Morani in March 2017 when the woman approached the police claiming that Morani promised her roles in films but cheated her after exploiting her. 
Morani was formally placed under arrest after his surrender here and was produced in court which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, a police officer said today.
“Morani surrendered before us (Hayathnagar police) around midnight. After completing legal formalities and medical check-up, he was produced before a court today. He was remanded in judicial custody till October 6,” J Narender Goud, Hayathnagar Police Inspector told PTI.
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He said police have filed a petition seeking Morani’s custody for seven days for further questioning.
Morani had taken anticipatory bail and then moved the High Court and the court had asked him to surrender before police then. Again Morani moved Supreme Court with a petition seeking to reconsider the HC’s order, but the apex court on Friday dismissed Morani’s petition and asked Morani on Friday to immediately surrender before Hayathnagar police.
Narender Goud said, “After the Supreme Court’s order on Friday, Karim Morani, who is facing allegations of rape among other criminal charges, surrendered late in the night. He will be produced before the court today, after completing formalities.”
In fact, during last January, a woman, who had done Bachelor of Business Management (BBA) degree, lodged a complaint with the Hayathnagar police alleging that Morani had repeatedly raped her.
It was alleged that Morani had sedated the Delhi-based woman and raped her several times, besides taking her nude photos between July 2015 and January 2016. The victim also alleged that Morani had raped her at a film studio here in 2015.
The High Court on September 5 had upheld the decision of the sessions court canceling Morani’s bail.
Morani was booked for cheating, rape, wrongful confinement), criminal intimidation), and cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of marriage under the Indian Penal Code.
–IANS