Mumbai: A 34-year-old “massage therapist” was arrested by the Malwani police on Tuesday for allegedly groping a Spanish national and her Indian friend at an apartment in Malad. He has also been accused of shooting objectionable photos of at least one of the women. Further investigation is underway.
The Spanish national came to India on a tourist visa last month. She was being hosted by a Mumbai man at his Malad apartment. On Dec 16, the Spanish woman booked the accused, Laxman Kumar’s, services online after going through his website, which gave him glowing reviews. Kumar said he would charge Rs 2,000 per person for a massage therapy.
Kumar first offered his services to an Indian woman, who was a friend of the Spanish woman. When he touched her inappropriately, she brushed it off as an accidental touch. Around 4.45 pm, he started a session for the Spanish woman. He began touching her inappropriately, which made her very uncomfortable. She later told the police that he would stop the massage every few minutes before resuming. The Spanish woman noticed that he kept his phone on the table next to him, and she suspected that he was shooting objectionable photos. As he started to grope her again, the Spanish woman pushed him away and raised an alarm.
The man hosting her at his Malad apartment rushed to her rescue. The duo confronted Kumar and demanded to check his cellphone to look for objectionable photos, but he refused to hand it over. He also wouldn’t show them any identity proof. The duo then shooed him out of the house, but he wouldn’t leave the building until they called security personnel.
Later, the Spanish woman dialled police emergency numbers 100 and 112. A team from Malwani police station arrived at the apartment and took both women to the police station to register a complaint. Kumar was arrested the next day.
