Police claims Ahuja is repentant, wife says he is being framed

Mumbai, June 17 (PTI) Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja,
arrested on the charge of raping his domestic help, appeared
remorseful, police claimed Wednesday but his wife rubbished
reports that he has "confessed", saying he was being framed.

Ahuja, 35, who will be produced in court Thursday
after being in police custody for three days, was "completely
shattered and is repenting for what he had done," Assistant
Police Commissioner Dilip Suryavanshi told reporters.

Refuting that Ahuja has made any confession, his wife,
Anupam said he is "completely innocent". "This is a frame-up,"
she said but did not want to speculate on being asked who
could be interested in targeting her husband.

Ahuja's lawyer, Srikant Shivade, said if the actor has
given any statement to police on his alleged role in the
crime, it would not have evidential value in the court.
"We will wait until the chargesheet is filed," he
said.

Ahuja was arrested on Monday on the charge of raping
his 18-year old domestic help when she was alone at their
residence in suburban Oshiwara the previous day.

Police claimed that during interrogation Ahuja said
it never occurred to him that the crime he was committing was
so "serious".

"He thought the victim would keep quiet and not
complain to anyone," a police officer said adding "though the
actor was uncomfortable during interrogation, yet he answered
many of our questions."

Anupam held a press conference accompanied by her
neighbours and friends to give her version as television
channels started airing reports of what Ahuja purportedly
said during interrogation.

"I am proud to be Mrs Shiney Ahuja. He is my man. I
know him for 15 years...he doesn't drink," she said.

Asked about medical reports which police claimed showed
that the maid was sexually assaulted, Anupam said she had
heard different versions of these reports and would rather
wait for the documents to be produced before court.

"He is a celebrity. May be he is a soft target," she
said on being asked why she felt Ahuja was being targeted.

Anupam said she has not spoken to her husband ever since
his arrest. "I have only seen him in court. We have looked at
each other. He knows and I know that he is innocent".

Ruchika Wadhwa, who is Ahuja's neighbour, said he was a
loving father who was often seen in the evenings taking his
two-year old daughter on a pram in the housing complex.

Ahuja, who is lodged in the Andheri police station
lock-up, was questioned for the third consecutive day. Police
is contemplating a DNA test on him to gather corroborative
evidence.

A team of Mumbai police has gone to Roha in nearby
Raigad district, the native place of the victim, to verify
from her school whether she was a minor. PTI VM
DEP
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