Mumbai: Casting director arrested after alleged assault on girlfriend

Deepak Malakar

A 26-year-old casting director and film editor has been arrested by Versova police on charges of attempting to rape his 18-year-old girlfriend. It is alleged that the accused forcefully slammed the girl's head into a wall after she declined to have sex with the accused. Fearing the worst, he fled to Surat in Gujarat under the assumption that the girl was seriously harmed or dead.

The accused has been identified as Deepak Malakar. According to the police the victim has received multiple fractures in her skull and is currently admitted at a private hospital and is recovering.

Malakar connected with the girl on Facebook, and their relationship blossomed over the past two months. The girl, driven by aspirations to establish a career in the Bollywood industry, even relocated to Mumbai.

On August 11, Malakar accompanied the girl to a friend's residence in Versova. During their time there, the girl rebuffed Malakar's advances, triggering his anger and resulting in a heated altercation. In the course of their fight, he struck her head against the wall. Upon realising she had lost consciousness, Malakar, fearing the worst, left the scene in a hurry.

A police officer stated, "A few minutes later, the girl regained consciousness and managed to drag herself out of the house, alerting neighbours for help. Neighbours promptly rushed her to the hospital and also informed the police about the incident."

The Versova police swiftly arrived at the hospital and, based on the girl's statement, promptly registered an FIR against the accused, Malakar.
During their investigation, the police discovered that the accused had switched off his mobile phone and hid in the city of Gujarat. Additionally, Malakar withdrew money from an ATM in Gujarat and sought assistance from local contacts.

The Versova police successfully traced the accused, Malakar, to Surat and subsequently apprehended him.