Court refuses pre-arrest bail to French woman booked for blackmailing ex-partner

In her pre-arrest bail plea, the woman denied the allegations against her and argued that the police complaint was lodged with a malicious and vindictive intention to harass her and to silence her regarding her relationship with the businessman’s son and the birth of their daughter

MUMBAI: The sessions court rejected the pre-arrest bail plea of a 40-year-old French woman accused of blackmailing an Indian businessman and demanding ₹9 crore to take care of the child she had with the man. She told the police that she met the businessman through a dating site and they were in a relationship.

Gavel and law books (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to the police, Annabel Dragan, a resident of Paris, had approached the court fearing arrest in an FIR registered by the Matunga police based on a complaint by Vaibhav Rai, managing director of H&H Healthcare and Cosmetics.

According to the complainant, his son Harshul Rai met the woman in October 2022 through a dating app, and the duo stayed in touch and met several times in Mumbai and Dubai. In April 2023, the woman informed him that she was pregnant and later gave birth to a baby girl in December 2023.

Vaibhav told the police that the woman initially said she would take full responsibility for the child but later began demanding money, a position, and a share in his company. He also claimed that she repeatedly sought large sums of money and created social media accounts where she posted personal photographs of his family along with defamatory content.

In her pre-arrest bail plea, Dragan denied the allegations against her and argued that the police complaint was lodged with a malicious and vindictive intention to harass her and to silence her regarding her relationship with the businessman’s son and the birth of their daughter.

Additional sessions judge Avinash P Kulkarni, however, rejected her plea, holding that her custodial interrogation was necessary for the investigation. The court noted that police needed to examine electronic communications between the parties and record statements of relevant witnesses.

The court noted that the paternity of the girl child was disputed by the complainants, but the Dragan was not willing to undergo a paternity test. The court also observed that she had demanded ₹9 crore as a lump-sum alimony and ₹7 lakh per month to take care of the child.

“Considering the nature of allegations, the material available on record and the submissions made by both sides, this court is of the view that the investigation in the present case is still in progress and the role of the accused is required to be properly investigated,” the court said while rejecting her pre-arrest bail plea.