Local trader booked for rape, victim seeks his arrest

An alleged rape victim here today demanded immediate arrest of the accused who sexually harassed her. She urged Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar to provide her justice and ensure that the accused did not escape out of the country.

The women’s police station has registered an FIR against a local trader, Lovetesh Singh, for allegedly raping his former sales manager.

The accused was absconding soon after learning about the police action. The victim recorded her statement before a judge on Friday, and her medical examination was conducted at a government hospital. The case was registered around a week ago.

Harvinder Kaur, SHO, women’s police station, said police teams are conducting raids at the accused’s residence, business premises and houses of relatives.

It is alleged that the accused may attempt to flee abroad. According to the complaint, the victim worked as a sales manager at the dealership owned by the accused. She alleged that during a company meeting at a city hotel in 2023, the accused laced her drinks with some intoxicant, raped her and recorded an obscene video. He then allegedly used the video to repeatedly blackmail and sexually exploit her. After she resigned on June 10 this year, the accused allegedly filed a false Rs 1.30-crore cheating case against her, leading to her three-month imprisonment. She began pursuing justice from inside the jail, sending complaints to senior officials. She also accused some police officials of putting pressure on her.