NEW DELHI: A 45-year-old film director who recently offered a role to the Maha Kumbh viral girl in his upcoming film has been arrested from Ghaziabad for allegedly threatening and sexually assaulting a woman multiple times, leading to several miscarriages, police said on Monday.
The accused, Sanoj Mishra, gained social media attention after offering a role to a girl whose pictures from the Maha Kumbh went viral. He was arrested on Sunday following intelligence gathering and technical surveillance, police said.
According to a police statement, a 28-year-old woman filed a complaint at Nabi Karim police station, leading to an FIR on March 6 under various sections, including rape, assault, forced miscarriage, and criminal intimidation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan stated that the complainant had been in a live-in relationship with Mishra in Mumbai for the past four years and alleged that she was forced to undergo abortion thrice.
In her complaint, she claimed that on February 18, Mishra took her to Hotel Shiva in Nabi Karim, where they had physical relations. Later, he refused to marry her, prompting her to file the complaint. She reiterated these allegations in her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC, Vardhan added.
During the investigation, medical records related to the abortions were collected from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi High Court also rejected Sanoj Mishra’s bail application.
Following his arrest in Ghaziabad, police confirmed that Mishra is married and lives with his family in Mumbai.
Reports indicate that Mishra had recently cast Monalisa Bhosle, a 16-year-old from Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district, in his upcoming film after she gained widespread recognition during the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela.