Trouble for Mahesh Murthy mounts, 4 more women file sexual harassment complaints

The present scenario seems to be a vicious circle for the serial entrepreneur and investor Mahesh Murthy. After a series of allegations and FIR's as well as formal arrest by Mumbai police, the popular and maverick angel investor has fallen in another trouble as four more women have filed complain with accusations of sexual harassment against him.

According to a report published in Mid day via IANS, four women, including a Mumbai-based complainant who visited the National Commission for Women (NCW), met Chairperson Rekha Sharma to submit a formal written complaint against Murthy this week.

Among the complaints is a journalist and a senior government officer, however, the rest of the complainants did not disclose their identities.

In its tweet, the statutory body has mentioned that it has received 4 new complainants this week and has forwarded them to the DGP for necessary action.

Four more women file sexual harassment plaints against investor Mahesh Murthy https://t.co/KbJVWlWG42

— NCW (@NCWIndia) February 24, 2018

According to the NCW, one of the complainants in her complaint claimed that Murthy, on the eve of Diwali in 2016, sent her an offensive and explicit text. Another complainant detailed an incident in which Murthy molested her in a coffee shop in Taj Land's End, Mumbai.

"In her complaint, she described her harrowing experience, including kissing, groping and offer to buy lingerie," the commission said. "Another woman wrote to the NCW about an incident wherein Murthy locked himself in his office with the complainant after which he proceeded to molest her," said a statement by the Commission.

The NCW said the victim said the incident occurred even though four to five young employees of Murthy were present on the opposite side of the door.

Merely two weeks ago, Mumbai police had detained Murthy and then granted bail on the same day saying that it was a procedural arrest. The case was filed by a Delhi-based woman after allegedly being sexually harassed by the renowned marketer, the previous FIR said.

He was granted anticipatory bail last week by a sessions court, which had ordered Murthy be released on executing a surety of Rs15,000 in the event of an arrest.

The matter came to light after FactorDaily, a tech media website had done a series of stories on Murthy's alleged involvement in sexual harassment activities with multiple victims.

Since then, many women came forward and alleges similar incident happened with them too. NCW has been playing a crucial role to provide justice to the victims.

In earlier FIR, Khar Police station filed the case under section 67 of IT Act, section 354 D (stalking) and 509 (outraging the modesty of a woman through verbal or visual gestures) of IPC following objectionable language used by him towards many women online.

The latest report also added that NCW has observed a pattern of behavior wherein Mahesh Murthy lures the young women to coffee shops or public spaces on the pretext of business meeting or promising to fund their startup projects and makes verbal and physical sexual advances and sexually coloured remarks," the women's rights panel said.

Murthy, Allegations and so-called confession

Besides the complaint made by a Delhi-based woman, the commission had also highlighted a similar issue raised by a couple of women entrepreneurs including a journalist and HR professional accused Murthy of inappropriate behaviour.

In February, co-founder of Vayuz – Pooja Chauhan and Wamika Iyer, Founder of FrshDay.in shared their conversation with Murthy that had made them uncomfortable because of its implicit sexual nature.

During the last incident, Murthy had said that this is an attempt to counter-sue and he will fight this too in court to defend his reputation.

A year ago Murthy had also posted a blog ‘The confessions of serial offender’ which may not help him to come out of the serious charges of sexual harassment.