Chandigarh: Elante Mall’s senior executive held for sexually harassing former co-worker

The accused, Anil Malhotra, is the executive director of corporate affairs, hospitality, offices and CSR, Nexus Malls that owns Elante Mall in Chandigarh

Days after his arrest over a dispute with the lessee of the Elante Mall’s food court, a senior executive of Nexus Malls, that owns the retail complex, has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing and stalking a former co-worker.

Chandigarh Police said Anil Malhotra has been sending abusive messages to his former co-worker and stalking her. (HT Photo)

The accused, Anil Malhotra, is the executive director of corporate affairs, hospitality, offices and CSR, Nexus Malls.

According to the police, Malhotra had worked with the woman previously and had now started stalking her.

The woman, who is married, had complained that Malhotra had been sending abusive text messages to her and her husband, and also threatening and blackmailing them. He had also stalked her when she visited the mall a few times.

On her complaint, Malhotra was booked under Sections 354 (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 294 (obscene acts and songs), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) at the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Industrial Area police station, and arrested.

He was produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate Aman Inder Singh on Tuesday and sent to three-day police remand. During his custody, police will inspect his mobile phone and go over the evidence submitted by the complainant.

Malhotra is also named in the criminal case registered earlier this week after mall officials barricaded the entrance of the food court following a dispute with the lessee, Puneet Gupta. According to police, Malhotra, along with others, was arrested and later bailed out.

Through a statement, Elante Mall had announced to take legal recourse against this FIR, lodged under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. They had also said Gupta owed them over ₹78 lakh and was misleading the authorities. However, no response was issued by the mall’s spokespersons regarding Malhotra’s arrest in the subsequent sexual harassment case.