Jaipur police link harassment accused to two spas, owners missing

JAIPUR: City police Monday said the man accused of harassing a pregnant woman in Malviya Nagar has links to two spa centres in the city, and action is being prepared against the establishments’ owners for allegedly sheltering him.Police identified the accused as Rahul Gurjar, a resident of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and said he had direct connections with spa operators in Malviya Nagar and the Tonk Road area.“It is surprising that after this incident, when police swung into action, both spa centres have remained shut, and their owners are reportedly absconding,” a senior Jaipur (East) police officer said.DCP (East) Ranjita Sharma said police teams are conducting raids. “Our teams are raiding places and we have got some clues on his whereabouts. He would be nailed down soon. Appropriate legal action would be taken against the accused for the alleged harassment of a woman,” she said.The incident took place on March 25 around 6:10 pm when the pregnant woman was walking through a lane near Sector 9 in Malviya Nagar. Police said the accused allegedly grabbed her from behind and molested her. When she raised an alarm, he allegedly picked up a stone to threaten her before fleeing.The case also triggered action over an alleged delay in registering the complaint. The woman approached police on March 26, but it is alleged her complaint was not immediately registered as an FIR and was kept pending under the pretext of an inquiry. The FIR was lodged Sunday after the matter surfaced publicly, following intervention by police headquarters.Head Constable Angadram Meena, who was initially assigned the investigation, has been accused of negligence. The then duty officer, ASI Mahesh Chand, allegedly failed to appreciate the gravity of the incident. Both have been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been ordered.An SIT has been formed and is examining CCTV footage from the police station to establish the sequence of events and whether there was any deliberate delay.