Mahmood Farooqui, the co- director and producer of the much-talked-about movie Peepli live, has been arrested for raping a US-based Indian origin research scholar of Columbia University. She has alleged that she was raped by Farooqui in a rented accommodation in New Friends Colony in South-East Delhi. Farooqui has been sent to Tihar Jail in judicial custody for 14 days. Police said the victim had come to India for her research on Baba Gorakhnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The 30-year-old victim came to New Friends Colony police station on June 19 along with an official from the US Embassy and filed a complaint of sexual assault against Farooqui. In her complaint, she alleged that Farooqui raped her in March this year during a party at his rented accommodation in Sukhdev Vihar locality.
“She alleged that after the party, which was attended by two other persons, one of them a journalist, Farooqui urged her to stay back till his wife returned,” said a police officer, adding the victim stayed after others left during which Mahmood allegedly sexually assaulted her.
After the medical examination of the victim, Farooqui was immediately called for questioning and he was arrested on June 20. Police said the victim met Farooqui in Varanasi through a common friend in connection with her research on Baba Gorakhnath in 2014. Farooqui helped her in gathering information for her research and the two became friends meeting often.
