HC suspends travel restrictions on Tanzanian national booked for raping model

Patel faced grave allegations of raping a 34-year-old event anchor on multiple occasions under the guise of promising to marry her. The events unfolded after the duo met at a friend’s birthday celebration in October 2022 and fostered a relationship

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday granted relief to a Tanzanian national, Viran Kanubhai Patel, accused of raping a city-based model in 2023, by permitting him to travel to Tanzania from March 22 to April 22, 2024. This court has also suspended the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him.

HT Image

The high court’s ruling came in response to Patel’s plea seeking permission to travel to Tanzania for business, citing his responsibilities as the head of a trading company, Glimexs Trading Limited, operating in Tanzania and India. Notably, the court considered Patel’s prior grant of pre-arrest bail, which included strict travel restrictions.

Patel faced grave allegations of raping a 34-year-old event anchor on multiple occasions under the guise of promising to marry her. The events unfolded after the duo met at a friend’s birthday celebration in October 2022 and fostered a relationship. Despite the victim’s vehement opposition to physical intimacy before marriage, Patel allegedly subjected her to assault at various locations, including his residence in Lower Parel, a farmhouse in Alibag, and upscale hotels in Pune.

In its order, justice Revati Mohite Dere and justice Manjusha Deshpande emphasised Patel’s obligation to comply with various conditions, including providing a detailed itinerary of his overseas travel, maintaining communication with Indian authorities during his absence, and ensuring his return to India as per the prescribed schedule. Furthermore, the court directed the prosecution to promptly notify immigration authorities about the suspension of the LOC, instructing them to facilitate Patel’s travel unhindered.