After yr on run, film coordinator, 3 dwarves held in Gehana porn case

Mumbai: A film production coordinator and three dwarves were arrested on Thursday following a year on the run evading charges of raping a 24-year-old model last year in a pornographic film racket involving actress-model Gehana

Vashist

. A special investigation team (SIT) of city crime branch, probing the four pornographic film cases, including one involving businessman and actress Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra, arrested film coordinator Naresh Kumar Pal, and

Salim Sayyed

, Abdul Sayyed and Aman Burnalwal from

Santacruz

based on a tipoff.The pornographic film racket had come to light in February 2021,when the property cell of the city crime branch, based on a tipoff, raided a bungalow at Madh Island in Malad and found an obscene film being shot. Five people were arrested and a woman was rescued.Investigations led the police to Vashist, who allegedly threatened and even lured women with money to act in obscene films. These were later uploaded on social media apps. Vashist was arrested soon after and chargesheeted, but later got bail. The complainant in this case claimed that on January 11, 2021, Vashist had offered her a role in a web series about a royal couple and three dwarves. “But when she reached the bungalow at Madh Island, she was forced to indulge in physical relations with the dwarves,” said a police officer. “The complainant claimed that they spiked her drink. She further said that when she resisted, Vashist and Pal threatened her to comply or else she would have to pay the loss of Rs 10 lakh for cancellation of the shoot.” The duo later paid her Rs 10,000 and uploaded the obscene film on a social media app, the model said. Senior inspector Shashikant Pawar, of the SIT, said Pal, Salim, Abdul and Burnalwal have been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections of rape and cheating as well as provisions of the Information Technology Act. All four accused have been remanded in police custody till February 21.