Rupesh remanded to two more days of police custody
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 03 November 2015 19:53 IST
Journalist Rupesh Samant, accused of series of sexual harassment cases, has been remanded to police custody for two more days.
Samant, who was on the run since 26 September, was arrested on Sunday after he had surrendered before the court.
He was then remanded to police custody for three days.
The police had today requested to remand him for seven days more and then pleaded for at least four days, when court declined to meet original request.
But the Panaji JMFC granted only two more days in the police custody.
Meanwhile, Margao police have requested the Panaji JMFC for transfer warrant as Samant is wanted in a trespass case in the district town of South Goa.
The plea would come up for hearing on Thursday, when he would also be produced on expiry of his remand of two days.
If the JMFC issues a transfer warrant, Samant would also be arrested in the trespass case.
Till date, women’s police station has recovered two mobiles from him, which he had used to send lewd messages to his junior women employees.
The police said they have still not found the mobiles used in earlier cases.
The police have also seized two cars – one owned by Samant and another belonging to his lady friend, which were used to commit crimes of sexual harassment he is charged for.
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 has disowned him.
