Actor Will Be Taken To Thane Jail Tomorrow If He Tests Negative For Covid-19

Mumbai: TV actor Pearl V Puri, who was arrested on Friday afternoon by Waliv police station under POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, in the 2019 minor rape case, will be taken to Thane jail after his RT-PCR test comes negative. The actor was remanded to 14-day judicial custody on Saturday. Sanjay Patil DCP (Zone 2, Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar) told TOI, “Anyone who is arrested has to undergo a COVID-19 test. Pearl V Puri will also undergo an RT-PCR test and if it is negative, he will be shifted to Thane jail tomorrow. Right now, he is at the Waliv Police station.” Also Read – Pearl V Puri Rape and Molestation Case: DCP Reacts To Ekta Kapoor’s Claims Says, ‘There is Evidence Against Him’

Commenting on Ekta Kapoor’s claim that the victim’s mother openly said that Pearl is innocent, DCP Patil said, “The victim narrated the incident which happened in 2019 on the sets of a TV show. During the investigation, she took the name of the character, the accused was playing in the show. The allegations are not false, there is evidence, so Pearl was arrested. We are investigating further and the truth will come out in the court trial.” Also Read – Pearl V Puri Rape And Molestion Case: Actor Sent To 14-Day Judicial Custody

He further added, “The father of the girl had filed the complaint initially in Versova Police Station and then it was transferred to Waliv Police Station. The mother was acting in a TV show and the victim used to accompany her mother on the set. We have arrested Pearl on the basis of a particular incident that the victim shared with us.” Also Read – Pearl V Puri Rape And Molestation Case: Actor Appears In Court, Finally Granted Bail

Earlier, he had said, “The victim identified the accused recently, and after recording her statement, the accused has been arrested. After the identification of the accused, we have taken him into custody for further investigation.”

As per Sanjaykumar Patil, DCP, Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) Commmissionerate, the alleged incident took place on the film set of Vasai, where Pearl was shooting in October 2019. The victim and her mother, who is also a TV actor, were on the set of the film. The minor’s mother learned about the incident after the child complained of abdomen pain. Her father, who had worked with Puri, filed a complaint at the Versova police station. The case was transferred to Waliv police and after the investigation, it was found out that Puri had a role to play in the incident. He was then called to Waliv police station on Friday and was arrested.

According to the Valiv Police Station, which lodged the case, the victim’s family had complained that Puri had allegedly molested and raped the girl, around two years ago. He has been booked under Sections 376 AB (Punishment for rape on woman under 12 years of age) of the Indian Penal Code, and Sections 4, 8, 12, 19, and 21 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.