COO of Andheri-based company booked for raping, clicking nude pics of Polish woman

MUMBAI: A 34-year-old Polish national has filed a rape case against Manish Gandhi, the chief operating officer and executive director of Asian Business Exhibitions and Conferences (ABEC), a company based in Andheri.

Police officials said the complainant claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Gandhi from 2016 at various locations across Germany, in various hotels in New Delhi and other parts of the country. She told the police that the accused sent his nude photos and took her naked photos in order to blackmail her.

The Amboli police in Andheri West have booked Gandhi for rape, sexual harassment, voyeurism, insulting the modesty of a woman, and criminal intimidation under relevant sections of the India Penal Code and that of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

According to the police the 34-year-old survivor hails from Lubań in Poland and was working in ABEC since November 2016. The company operates from New Link Road in Andheri West. “She has told us that she was hired by Gandhi himself for the Architecture and Designers Exhibition and later kept her as an assistant in the office of his brother. After a few months, Gandhi started sending her vulgar messages and even sent his naked photo to her. After which she warned him and everything stopped,” the complainant told the police in her statement.

“The woman said in April 2017 they went to the FIBO exhibition in Germany where Gandhi called her to his room for a business meeting and allegedly sexually assaulted her. After which he threatened her to not talk about it to anyone, claiming he was well connected. Thereafter he allegedly raped her in various hotels and in the flat allotted to her by the company,” said the police officer. Later he secretly took her naked pictures and started blackmailing her, the officer added. The officer said she was afraid as her private photos were with the accused and she was financially dependent on his company. Recently she visited Dubai and even went to Poland, but returned to Mumbai and lodged the complaint.

“My client states she was physically abused and raped throughout several years. My client further states that apart from sexual harassment, the accused (Manish Gandhi) is in possession of her nude photographs and videos which he used as a tool to blackmail her to continue sexual abuse,” said advocate Vivek Sharma, who helped the woman lodged the police complaint.

Gandhi did not respond to messages seeking his comment on the development.

HT PHOTO The victim also alleged that Manish Gandhi (in pic) blackmailed her.