A United Kingdom (UK) national was booked for allegedly assaulting Airport police officers and obstructing them from discharging their duty when they were trying to stop a fight at a pub near the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Vile Parle (east), in the early hours on Sunday. However, a friend of the foreign national told HT police have wrongly booked him to save their men from being prosecuted for assaulting him.
The accused, Sri Dasani, 30, is a UK national of Indian origin, police said. On Sunday morning, Airport police received a call, informing them about a fight outside a pub near the Hotel Sahara Star close to the domestic terminal.
When a team reached the spot, they saw two men fighting over a woman. The team was trying to stop the brawl when Dasani, allegedly in a drunk-state, obstructed and accused them of misbehaviour. Despite requests from the police officers not to stop them from discharging their duty, he kept intervening, following which he was taken to the Airport police station.
CCTV footages at the police station show Dasani slapping, spitting and kicking. He kicked a constable, Nitesh Dhandge, 33, on his private parts. The constables too are seen assaulting Dasani in defence. “The accused can be seen assaulting our men. We have registered an FIR against him for assaulting on-duty police officers and obstructing them from discharging their duty,” said Manoj Kumar Sharma, additional commissioner of police, west region.
Speaking with HT on the condition of anonymity, his friend said, “His name is Sri Kotak. As a good Samaritan, he was only trying to stop the fight when the cops picked him up. Then they even beat him, as can be seen in CCTV footages. They also beat him in the rickshaw on the way to the station. He has suffered injuries on his face and was admitted to a hospital. His phone was taken by the police and he was not even allowed to call a lawyer or family, knowing well he cannot speak the local language. They let him go, but when we reached out to the British deputy high commission in Mumbai, the police registered an FIR against him. This is being done to cover their misdoings.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking with HT on the condition of anonymity, his friend said, “His name is Sri Kotak. As a good Samaritan, he was only trying to stop the fight when the cops picked him up. Then they even beat him, as can be seen in CCTV footages. They also beat him in the rickshaw on the way to the station. He has suffered injuries on his face and was admitted to a hospital. His phone was taken by the police and he was not even allowed to call a lawyer or family, knowing well he cannot speak the local language. They let him go, but when we reached out to the British deputy high commission in Mumbai, the police registered an FIR against him. This is being done to cover their misdoings.”
{{/usCountry}}Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.