Goa asks Maha-Ka'tka police to 'look out' for Rupesh
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 19 October 2015 23:00 IST
As senior journalist Rupesh Samant is absconding for 25 days, Goa police have now also alerted the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, with Look out Notices sent to all the police stations of both the big states.
Samant is facing serious charges of sexual harassment to women journalists and other women employees, with five complainants filing four FIRs against him.
Pending hearing on his anticipatory bail, Samant did not respond to almost eight summons sent to him, for interrogation.
The women’s police and the crime branch of Goa police have intensified the search operations after his bail plea was rejected on 14 October.
“We have activated our informant service and have alerted the police at border points as well as railway stations and the airport”, PI Sudiksha Naik told goanews.com.
In addition, the police have also been searching residences of Samant’s ‘dear and near ones’.
CAR SEIZED
The police today also seized Samant’s red Maruti Swift car, which was found parked at his ‘good friend’s’ house, the police said.
The ‘good friend’ of Samant as well as her mother were interrogated earlier and now she would be interrogated further, said the police.
Till now, the police have interrogated several people who are close to Samant, in order to find some clue about his whereabouts.
BACKGROUND
Samant was working as Goa bureau chief of PTI and anchor of HCN cable TV channel.
He is facing charges of insulting modesty of women through physical act, sending lewd messages on mobile, making sexually coloured remarks and making physical advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures.
The first FIR was filed against him on 25 September based on complaints filed by two women journalists.
This was followed by three more complaints filed against Samant, of varying nature of sexual harassment of his juniors, from 2012 till this year.
However, following the spurt of FIRs of sexual harassment filed against him, Herald Group owning HCN channel had disowned him while he is also not reporting for PTI.
