Pearl V Puri, the TV actor, who is currently serving 14-day judicial custody in the Waliv Police Station, Mumbai, will be sent to jail if his RT-PCR Covid-19 test result comes negative, said Vasai Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Kumar Patil.
Talking to Silverscreen India, DCP Patil refuted the rumours of Puri being granted bail and said the actor is currently serving his judicial custody while his bail hearing is currently going on in a local court. He also said that if the actor’s Covid-19 test report is negative, he will be shifted to the Thane police station.
Puri was charged under a section of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He was arrested by the Waliv police under Section 376 AB, r/w POCSO Act 4, 8, 12,19, 21 of the IPC after a case was registered by the survivor’s father, according to ANI.
After reports of the actor’s arrest, reports stated that he was granted bail. In fact, even Karishma Tanna, actor, and Puri’s friend, confirmed the news of his bail by posting a photo on her Instagram with the caption: “Truth wins and he did win”.
Earlier, after the news of the alleged assault broke, producer Ekta Kapoor wrote on Instagram that the allegations were falsely made by the minor’s father.
“After various calls with the child‘s/girl’s mother, who openly said that Pearl was not involved and it’s her husband trying to create stories to keep her child and prove that a working mother on a set cannot take care of her kid. If this is true then it is wrong on so many levels. Using an extremely important movement like ‘Me Too’ frivolously, to get your own agendas met with and mentally torturing a child and making an innocent person guilty,” she wrote.
Kapoor added that if Puri was proved innocent then people should look hard into how important movements were being “used unfairly reducing the gravitas of the situation”.
However, DCP Patil, in a press conference on Saturday refuted Kapoor’s claims and said there is evidence against Puri. In a clip shared on Twitter, the DCP revealed that there is proof and testimony from the victim to prove the rape charges. He also revealed that the victim’s statement has been taken by the police officials and the arrest was made based on that. A medical examination was also conducted on both the victim and the accused.
While DCP Patil refused to reveal further information, he said that the victim has mentioned several instances to the police.
The alleged incident took place on a film set in Vasai, where Pearl was shooting in October 2019. The DCP stated that the victim is below 12-year-old.
Several TV celebrities and friends of Puri have since posted messages on Instagram showing their support for the actor.
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Dear privileged Girls and Women,
Do not make the heinous allegations of rape and molestation so frivolous and casual that it ceases to hold any value for posterity.@pearlvpuri You have my support✨.— NIA SHARMA (@Theniasharma) June 5, 2021
Puri was first seen in the 2013 daily soap show Dil Ki Nazar Se Khoobsurat, followed by Phir Bhi Na Maane…Badtameez Dil, Meri Saasu Maa and Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha among others. He is also known for his stint in Bepanah Pyaar.
