New Delhi, August 5, 2016 – A court in New Delhi on Thursday sentenced Bollywood filmmaker Mahmood Farooqui to seven years imprisonment for raping a 35-year-old American researcher.
The Bollywood actor was said to have forcefully had oral sex with the American researcher and was pronounced guilty of the offence. Farooqui is required to pay a 50,000-rupee, about $747 fine. The court said his jail term will be increased by three years if he fails to pay the fine.
The victim was a student at New York’s Columbia University, who was in the Capital for research work on her doctoral thesis. She was introduced to Farooqui through a friend. Farooqui invited the victim to his South Delhi home in March March 28, 2015 and then forced himself on her.
She told the court that Farooqui raped her and later apologised via several e-mails exchanged between them. Farooqui denied the allegations and said he was falsely implicated.
Times of India reported that in his charge, sheet of June 29, Farooqui was said to have raped the woman at his Sukhdev Vihar residence. Police also accused Farooqui of destroying evidence against him.
It is the first time an Indian court will be convicting an individual for rape involving oral sex. Farooqui co-directed Peepli Live in 2010.
