New Delhi: Siddharth Ojha, the man who is accused of raping a French woman in Udaipur, had spotted her earlier in the day on 22 June, before he approached her in the evening, ThePrint has learnt.
ThePrint had earlier reported that, according to the First Information Report (FIR), Ojha had lured the 30-year-old French tourist while she was out for dinner on the pretext of showing her the city before raping her in the intervening hours of 22 and 23 June. Ojha, who had been absconding after the incident, was arrested in his hometown of Chittorgarh on 25 June.
Sources in the Rajasthan Police said, while the two had not known each other before, Ojha had seen her at Ambrai, near Lake Pichola, during a shoot. The woman, who is an artist, was participating in the shoot.
He was a production assistant for a talent acquisition company that works with actors for ad shoots. He had been part of casting teams for several Bollywood projects. According to police, he has no previous criminal record. Sources said that he is also a partner of the company.
A senior police officer also told ThePrint that “the woman keeps visiting India and works as an artist. She had been in Delhi for some time.”
ThePrint had earlier reported that the women arrived in Udaipur from Delhi on 22 June. That evening, when she went out for dinner and to party with her friends, Ojha allegedly approached her table and asked her to go outside for a smoke.
“He then told the victim that he could show her around and took her for a drive in his car,” another senior police officer said.
According to the FIR, a copy of which is with ThePrint, despite the French survivor asking him to drop her back her to her hotel, took her to his apartment, where he raped her. He dropped her off at her hotel at around 6 am.
An FIR has been registered at the Badgaon police station in Udaipur under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to rape at the time.
Sources in Rajasthan Police said the accused has confessed to the crime.
He will be produced in court today.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: French tourist allegedly raped in Udaipur, accused absconding