Mumbai: ‘Since FIR, top brass of firm harassing me’

According to the woman’s statement, the case amounts to cyber crime, stalking and defamation among other things. Representation pic

A 38-year-old woman, who had accused her former employer of wrongful termination, approached the Dadar police again against 22 top executives of a Prabhadevi-headquartered company for harassing her online.

Following her termination over alleged sexual misconduct, she had filed a complaint last year alleging conspiracy to sack her. The Dadar police filed an FIR under IPC Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) against eight employees in May.

Since then, the woman alleged, executives of the leading broking firm have been stalking her online and harassing her by making fake social media profiles in her name. The Dadar police recorded her statement after turning her away for months, she alleged, adding that they acted only after the DCP's intervention. However, they have not filed an FIR yet.

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Sources told mid-day that the Dadar police had "dissuaded her from registering a complaint by suggesting she approaches court, saying that there is no offence to file an FIR, and asking her to get witnesses". According to her statement, a copy of which is with mid-day, the case amounts to cyber crime, stalking, defamation, invasion of privacy, criminal conspiracy and threat.

Goes to DCP

The woman, who was the assistant vice-president (digital marketing, broking & distribution) at the firm, finally approached Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil for help. Her visit was on February 20 this year. "In the past 11 months, she met DCP Patil five times. He finally asked the Dadar cops to record her statement and assigned Divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police Avinash Kanade as a witness to her statement," a source said.

"It took two days (April 7 and 10) to record her 23-page statement. However, the FIR is yet to be registered. The DCP has asked Kanade to personally look into her statement within a week and file an FIR if her allegations amount to even a single cognisable offence," the source added. Another source said that the complainant has presented evidence to support her claims.

The alleged harassment

"Since last year, the top broking house and its top board of directors have been sending her emails, friend requests on Facebook; making fake profile of her and using her photo on social media to reveal her identity, which ideally should not have been done as she is a victim of sexual misconduct," an officer from the Dadar police station said.

"Among those the woman has named are chief human resource and executive director, associate director, senior group vice-president, senior manager, assistant manager, customer associate, managing director and chief executive officer, chief financial officer, company secretary and compliance officer, three lawyers of the company, human resource vice presidents, customer associates," the officer added.

Speaking to mid-day, DCP Patil confirmed the developments and said, "I have asked the ACP to re-verify the claims of the woman. We will take the call once the re-verification is done."

‘Sack erring cops'

Meanwhile, Abha Singh, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, told mid-day that the police are deliberately stalling to safeguard the accused because they are associated with a big firm. "Why does a complainant have to approach the DCP for filing of complaint? This means that the company has asked the local police not to entertain the woman. Cops who told her that an FIR cannot be filed must be sacked for turning her away," Singh said. "The senior officers in Mumbai police must hand over the complaint to a special cell to initiate legal action against the top executives of the company," she added.

22
No of executives she has named in her statement