The Mumbai businessman allegedly roughed up by cricketer Luke Pomersbach at a Delhi hotel last week told the city police on Sunday that the woman who is at the centre of a molestation scandal that has hit the Indian Premier League was not his fianceé, something media reports had earlier suggested.
Sahil Peerzada, who is recovering at a city hospital, gave his statement to the police three days after the reported assault. He claimed that Pomersbach had punched him 3-4 times when he protested the cricketer’s alleged misbehaviour with the American woman, who he claimed was his girlfriend. Pomersbach had flung an ashtray at Peerzada before attacking him, he claimed.
Peerzada, a former model, says he was attacked by Pomersbach at a five-star hotel in the intervening night of May 17 and May 18. He was hurt in his ear.
Peerzada is understood to have told the police that while a friend, Meraj, was with him in the room, an acquaintance from Mumbai, Mohammad Moif, was present at the after-match party.
“Both Meraj and Moif have agreed to cooperate with our investigation. They are expected to arrive in the Capital on Monday,” said a senior officer, adding that Meraj is a coal trader in Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}“Both Meraj and Moif have agreed to cooperate with our investigation. They are expected to arrive in the Capital on Monday,” said a senior officer, adding that Meraj is a coal trader in Mumbai.
{{/usCountry}}KC Dwivedi, additional commissioner of police (New Delhi), said, “Peerzada has corroborated the version of the American woman. We will file a chargesheet in the case in a month.”
The senior officer said the man seen in CCTV footage accompanying Pomersbach to the woman's room was the hotel’s lobby manager.
The cricketer, the officer said, left for Mumbai after he was granted bail on Saturday. He, however, gave an undertaking to the police that he would cooperate in the course of the investigation and will be in Delhi whenever required.
The woman is likely to approach a court against Royal Challengers Bangalore director Siddharth Mallya for his tweets casting aspersions on her character.