Karan Oberoi
Karan OberoiInstagram

UPDATE: Karan Oberoi granted bail on Friday, June 7. In a dramatic twist to the tale, the complainant was attacked and it turned out that the goons attacking her were hired by her and were here lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan's cousins. On June 3, 2019, Khan surrendered before Oshiwara police. He was arrested and later granted bail by the Andheri court.

Earlier Story: Television actor and singer Karan Oberoi has been arrested for alleged rape and blackmail of a female astrologer in Mumbai. Karan Oberoi starred in the recent web series Inside Edge, and is known to be one of the lead singers of the band called Band of Boys that was popular in the early 2000s. He was also seen in the popular TV series like Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Saaya.

A report in Mumbai Mirror, without naming the actor, said that the Oshiwara police had registered a first information report (FIR) against the actor-singer for allegedly raping an astrologer under the pretext of marrying her. The victim has also alleged that he had recorded a video on his mobile phone. This happened after he sedated her with spiked coconut water in his flat, she said in her complaint. He later extorted money from her.

ANI reports that the actor in question is Karan Oberoi, the ex-boyfriend of Mona Singh, who was the lead star of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. Reports say the complainant had met the accused via a dating application in 2016, after which he promised to marry her.

In the FIR, the female astrologer has reportedly said, "Through this video, he has been blackmailing me and making money. Even though I was asking him about marriage, he was ignoring every time and asking for money. A few days ago, when I insisted on marrying him, he threatened to 'do whatever you can'."

Accordint to media reports, a police officer revealed, "Karan Oberoi not only raped the woman and filmed the act but also demanded money from her threatening to release the video if she did not pay up. We have registered an FIR on the complaint of the victim and started investigating the case."

Karan Oberoi has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape, extortion, threatening and causing hurt by means of poison. There are reports that he broke down in the court proceedings on Monday, May 6.

Family and friends of Karan Oberoi have dismissed the claims of rape by the woman, saying that she was harassing the actor. Karan Oberoi has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and has filed for bail. The actor's bail plea will be heard on May 15. Karan Oberoi's bail plea has been rejected and he is going to apply to the High Court.