73-Year-Old Filmmaker Shakeel Noorani Arrested Over Alleged Ra*pe of Actress; Police Probe Underway

P.S. Shakeel Noorani, 73, has been arrested by Mumbai Police after a 33-year-old aspiring actress has accused him of ra*pe, blackmail, criminal intimidation and causing her miscarriage. Police arrested Noorani at a farmhouse in Maharashtra’s Satara district where he had allegedly been evading authorities for about 40 days. He was taken to local court and remanded to police custody until August 12.

According to the complaint reported by The Times of India, Noorani called her to his house in Mumbai's Malwani area under the guise of discussing a film script. She said her drink was spiked and was sexually assaulted. When she came to recover, Noorani showed her a video of the incident and threatened to distribute it if she approached the police or told her family about it, she said.

The complaint alleged that the accused then used the purported video to blackmail and sexually assault her over four years. Police said the woman also claimed Noorani gave her contraceptive pills after the alleged assaults. She also claimed that she was poisoned, which she says caused a miscarriage. These are all allegations in the complaint and have not been proven in court.

After registering the FIR, investigators searched various locations and tried to find Noorani. With technical help, police managed to locate him in a farmhouse in Medha, Satara district. He was detained by local police and brought back to Mumbai before police officially arrested him. The case has been registered at Malwani police station under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including rape, causing hurt by means of poison, criminal intimidation and miscarriage.

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Noorani’s lawyer Vikas Singh Goar has denied the allegations and told The Times of India that his client has been falsely implicated. He has also worked as a director, producer and scriptwriter with credits including Vishnu Devaa, Shreeman Aashique, Bade Dilwala and Joru Ka Ghulam. The court will decide the legal course of the case, and the allegations against him will be investigated and judicial determination.

The case has once again raised concerns about the vulnerability of aspiring actors and newcomers in the entertainment industry, particularly when meetings related to film opportunities take place in private settings. It also underscores the importance of safe professional environments and mechanisms through which individuals can report alleged exploitation.

For now, Noorani remains in police custody and investigators are still looking into the allegations and evidence of the case. The accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty according to law.