Spurned actor hurls chemical at woman

MUMBAI: Spurned by his former girlfriend, a 32-year-old man hurled a chemical at her face while she was returning home from work at Kandivli (E) late on Thursday. Pratap Gupta, the accused, has played bit roles in Hindi and Bhojpuri films. He was caught by a group of bystanders who beat him up before the police could take his custody. The victim, Shaheen Khan (47), sustained an eye injury.
Gupta, a resident of Bhayander, is married with two kids.Around five years ago, he used to work at a dance bar in Borivli (E). Shaheen was a dancer at the same bar.
Shaheen's husband had deserted her. She stayed with her 24-year-old daughter at Thakur Village in Kandivli. "While working at the bar, Gupta and Shaheen grew close. Soon, they started going out on dates. But after the state's ban on dance bars, both quit their jobs. They also stopped seeing each other,'' a police official said.
To support her family, Shaheen took up the job of a waitress at Ashish Bar in Dahisar. "At her new workplace, she got involved with a singer named Anupam. When Gupta got wind of the affair, he was furious. He demanded that Shaheen should break up with Anupam so that they could get back together again. Shaheen refused and was repeatedly threatened by Gupta,'' the official added.
On August 15, Shaheen visited Gupta's residence and met his wife, Madhu. She told Madhu to keep her husband in check and that she was tired of his threats. She also admitted to having an affair with him in the past but added that she was not seeing him anymore.
Shaheen was relieved when Gupta's phone calls stopped after her visit to his house. On Thursday, she left from work around 9 pm after the bar closed for the day. She boarded an auto and got off at Singh Estate in Kandivli, close to her house. To her shock, a sloshed Gupta was waiting on the street. After a heated argument, he hurled a chemical on her face and tried to flee. But bystanders nabbed him and gave him a sound thrashing.
"We rushed Shaheen to the Bhagwati Hospital, where she was treated for an eye injury. After she was discharged from the hospital, we recorded her statement. Gupta too underwent a medical examination,'' a senior official said.
Gupta has been booked on charges of assault and criminal intimidation. Police officials said the chemical is yet to be examined in a lab, but could be a disinfectant.