Karan Oberoi moves Bombay high court for bail

He has claimed that the woman complainant had “staged an attack on herself” to extend his stay in judicial custody.

Nearly two weeks after actor-singer Karan Oberoi was denied bail in a rape case, he has moved court again seeking bail. In a plea to the Bombay high court (HC), Oberoi alleged that the woman complainant had “staged an attack on herself” to extend his stay in judicial custody.

The actor-singer was arrested on May 5 for the alleged rape of a 34-year-old fashion designer. (HT file)

The HC is likely to hear the bail arguments later this week.

The 44-year-old was arrested on May 5 after the 34-year-old fashion designer approached the Oshiwara police claiming that Oberoi had raped her on the pretext of marriage, and then attempted to extort her with a video of the act. Oberoi’s bail plea was rejected by the sessions court on May 17.

On May 25, the woman had approached the police, alleging two bikers attacked her with a knife in Andheri and also threw a chit at her, which read, “Take the case back”. Police on Thursday arrested four persons in connection with the attack.

In his application to the HC on Saturday, Oberoi’s counsel Dinesh Tiwari stated the actor anticipates that the woman had staged the attack so that his bail plea is rejected again. He also stated that it is evident from their communication that Oberoi was “trying to avoid contact with her as her nature, even as a friend, was unbearable”.

In his plea, Oberoi has also blamed the police for conducting the investigation in a “pathetic manner, where they have not even bothered to check entire WhatsApp messages and other communications to verify the actual nature of the relationship.” Oberoi’s counsel also called for “sensitising the police force to investigate cases concerning two grown ups.”