Molestation case: US national says IPL player tagged along

NEW DELHI: An Australian player of IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore was arrested for allegedly molesting a US national on Thursday night. Luke Pomersbach was arrested under sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 454 (lurking house trespass) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to police, the victim, who was staying at Hotel Maurya, was molested by Pomersbach when they were partying in her room. When her fiancé Sahil Pirzada (32) intervened he too was boxed by Luke, said cops. A case was registered at the Chanakyapuri police station and both the victim and Sahil were rushed to Primus Hospital on Friday morning.
Officials at the hospital said that Sahil's condition is stable, but serious. "Sahil was brought to the hospital at 7.30am and admitted to casualty. He complained of bleeding from the left ear lobe and drowsiness. On examination, his vitals were found normal but a CT Scan was conducted to rule out head injury. He has been shifted to the ICU for observation but is stable and there is no danger to his life. There is impaired hearing on the affected ear," said Dr. DK Baluja, executive director of Primus Hospital.
Sahil is being attended by a team of four doctors including a neurosurgeon. Officials said that he appeared to be in an inebriated state at the time of admission.
Meanwhile, the US national has claimed that Pomersbach "tagged along" with them after a party and insisted on having drinks with her and her fiancé, according to PTI.
"I am not sure about his full name. But he tagged along with us after the party and (insisted) that we have few drinks with him. He told something to my fiancé and I did not like. Then we left for our room and we thought he had gone to his room but he came upstairs tagging along with us. He asked us to help him around and telling my fiancé that lets go and have drinks," the victim told reporters.
"I got molested by a cricket player and fiancé was beaten up. Obviously, he is a very critical condition right now. I come here often to visit my friends and my fiancé.... I was here to see him. I was hanging out with him. He lives in Mumbai," she said.
"He (fiance) is a nice guy and he did not want to say No. He just said fine, but....," she said.
"Then we left for our room and we thought he had gone to his room but he came upstairs tagging along with us. He asked us to help him around and telling my fiance that lets go and have drinks," she said.
Speaking to the media, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya, said: The RCB is aware of the incident involving one of our players. RCB will offer full cooperation to the authorities. Till the time he is cleared, Luke Pomersbach will not be part of RCB."
Pomersbach made his international debut when he played for Australia's Twenty20 side in Perth in December 2007. Officials say that he has a history of misbehaviour under the influence of alcohol.
In 2009, after two hit-and-run incidents, Pomersbach was arrested and charged by police for driving with a blood alcohol level in excess of permissible limits, failing to stop and accompany police and escaping legal custody.
He pleaded guilty and was fined and had his driver's license cancelled. The Western Australian Cricket Association suspended him indefinitely. He returned from his ban in January 2010.
Pomersbach also played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL in 2008-09 season and made 152 in five innings, only once being dismissed.
Shukla, meanwhile, said that it was "an individual misbehaviour of an individual player".
IPL authorities sought to distance themselves from the incident with chairman Rajiv Shukla saying the event had nothing to with this because it did not happen in any party organised by it.
"Let the law take its course," he said. Denying the charge that IPL was full of controversies, Shukla said IPL 4 and 5 were free of controversies till now.
However, BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad alleged that the IPL "has given rise to many unsavoury things. Today's attempt to rape is one such (incident)".
He said foreign players were taking advantage of the conditions in India.
Dr D K Baluja of Primus Hospital, where the victim's fiance has been admitted, said there was bleeding from his left year and he was in drowsy condition.
"The vital parameters of the patient -- blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level in blood, cardiac and abdominal condition -- were all normal.
"Since the patient complained of delusion and there was injury to the ear, a CT scan was done immediately and the report said that there was no deep head injury," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)