Woman’s husband arrested 2 yrs ago on rape charges in Mumbai

Priyanka’s family had learnt about Chawla’s arrest five weeks after his marriage to the 27-year-old event manager in January this year, her sister Dimpi Kapoor told The Indian Express Monday.

Nitin Chawla

Nearly two years before his marriage to Priyanka Kapoor, who allegedly committed suicide Friday night, south Delhi-based businessman Nitin Chawla had been arrested from Mumbai on charges of rape. He was arrested after a 20-year-old woman claimed he had cheated and raped her on the pretext of marriage. Chawla was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in May 2014, after he furnished a personal bond of Rs 15,000.

Priyanka’s family had learnt about Chawla’s arrest five weeks after his marriage to the 27-year-old event manager in January this year, her sister Dimpi Kapoor told The Indian Express Monday. This was Chawla’s second marriage; he and his first wife had divorced in December last year.

The complainant in the rape case had told Justice Revati Mohite Dere that she had met Chawla at a night club in Delhi in April 2011 and their friendship had soon turned into a relationship. She said Chawla had hidden the fact that he was already married, and told her that he wanted to marry her.

[related-post]

Story continues below this ad

The woman told the court that she learnt Chawla was married when he told her his marriage was “on the rocks” and he was thinking of getting a divorce.

The complainant told the court that she started distancing herself from Chawla after finding out he had two children. She had moved from Delhi to Mumbai and enrolled herself in an acting course. In her complaint, she said when she met Chawla in October 2013, he had sexually assaulted her.

Acting on the woman’s complaint, the Dindoshi police had booked Chawla under sections 376 (2) (n) (raping a woman repeatedly) 420 (cheating) 468 (forgery) and other relevant sections of the IPC. However, Chawla had maintained that the sex was consensual and he had never sexually assaulted the complainant. He claimed he had even paid the admission fee for the woman’s acting course.

Justice Dere, after considering the ‘peculiar facts’ of the case, observed that the woman had said she had been in a relationship with Chawla. The court had granted him bail on May 9, 2014.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram