BJP MLA's gunner, help arrested for molestation

LUCKNOW: A police gunner and a domestic help of an MLA were arrested for sexually assaulting a maid in the garage of the MLA's official residence in Butler Palace Colony on Friday.
Domestic help Sohanlal and police gunner Manoj Tewari were attached with BJP's Varanasi Cantt MLA Saurabh Srivastava, who has been allotted house number C-47 in Butler Palace Colony.
Adjacent to the house is a shanty of a family from Bihar. Its members work as domestic help in the colony.
The teenage survivor worked in the the bungalow allotted to the MLA and was acquainted with the accused duo.
In her complaint, she said that on Thursday midnight, Sohanlal reached her house and offered help to the family in a case related to her brother who is in jail.
She said Sohanlal asked her to follow him to the bungalow, where he would arrange to meet some influential people. The girl informed her parents and left with him.
On the way, she said, Sohanlal came too close to her and began talking obscenely but she ignored his advances for the sake of her brother.
Sohanlal then took her to the garage near the house where gunner Tewari was present. Together, they allegedly tried to force themselves on the girl. The girl raised an alarm and her parents heard her. Other residents also came out and police were informed.
SSP Deepak Kumar told TOI that Tewari and Sohanlal have been arrested under charges of outraging modesty, extortion and breaching peace.
"A case of extortion has been filed because the family told us that they had asked for Rs 10,000 for getting their son released from jail," said Kumar.
Meanwhile, Srivastava told TOI, "I am staying in my sister's house on Gokhale Marg because my residence in Butler Palace Colony is under renovation. When I got to know of the incident, I reached the spot, called the SSP and asked him to arrest the two accused."