Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya booked in Mumbai for verbally abusing woman

But Bhattacharya says the woman was threatening him and others to extort money

The Amboli police have registered a case of outraging the modesty of a woman against singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya after he allegedly used derogatory remarks while speaking to her on the phone.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya (HT FILE)

“The woman had an argument with the singer over some drilling work being done in the society. She claims that she was abused by him. We have registered a case and will be investigating the case further,” said a police officer on the condition of anonymity.

Following a complaint by the woman, the police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under section 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Commenting on the issue, Bhattacharya said, “She has been threatening me and others to extort money. I have given a commercial place on rent. My tenants were getting some work done, and she objected to it. Being the owner of the place, I intervened in it.”

The police said they will gather more evidence in the case before taking any further action. Bhattacharya further told Hindustan Times that he has not been contacted by the police yet.

This is not the first time the singer has been caught in a controversy.

In October 2015, Bhattacharya had been booked by the Oshiwara police for allegedly molesting and abusing a 34-year-old woman at a Durga Puja pandal in Lokhandwala.

In 2016, the singer was named in an FIR following a police complaint by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Preeti Kumar Menon for allegedly abusing a woman journalist on Twitter.