MUMBAI: Mumbai police today launched a probe into alleged molestation of Bollywood actress Preity Zinta by her former boyfriend Ness Wadia and would soon record the statements of IPL CEO and others even as the industrialist rejected the charge as "false and baseless".
Sources at Marine Drive police station said the probe team headed by an Inspector has begun examining the CCTV footage of the incident.
The 39-year-old actress had filed a police complaint on Thursday night alleging that she was molested by Wadia (44) inside Wankhede stadium on May 30 when an IPL match was played between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.
Zinta and Wadia had broken off their five-year-long relationship a couple of years back but continued to share business interest.
"We are verifying the CCTV footage to identify people present to record their statement," an officer involved in the investigation said.
Several players of IPL team Kings XI Punjab, of which Zinta is a co-owner with Wadia, its support staff, and officials of Wankhede Stadium were reported to have been present when the alleged incident took place.
Zinta, in her complaint, has referred to another unsavoury incident during the IPL team auctions in Bangalore where IPL CEO Sunder Raman was present and had intervened. His statement would be recorded in that context, sources said.
"We will be recording the statement of IPL CEO as Zinta has said that after she refused to sit with Wadia, he had screamed at her and the IPL CEO had intervened," the officer said.
Based on Zinta's written complaint, Marine Drive police have registered an FIR against Wadia under IPC sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Narrating what transpired on May 30, Zinta said Wadia began "shouting and yelling" at team's support staff and, when she tried to calm him down, as her team was playing well, "for no reason he started abusing and screaming at me, grabbed my arm and tried to pull me by hand".
Also Read: