Panaji: In more trouble for Tehelka's founder-editor Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting his junior colleague, the CCTV footage sourced by Goa Police from a hotel in Panaji has "corroborated" the facts narrated by the woman journalist, a senior officer said today.
The CCTV footage of the area outside the elevator, in which the alleged sexual assault took place, corroborates the victim's narration, said an officer, who is part of the team investigating the footage, on the condition of anonymity.
"It is clear in the CCTV footage, dated November 7, outside the lift in Block 7 of the hotel that something went wrong in the lift," the officer said. "The footage initially shows Tejpal and the victim woman accompanying Hollywood actor Robert De Niro to the latter's room. This was around 9 pm when Tejpal is seen entering the lift with his hands on the shoulders of the young journalist," the officer said.
He further said, "One-and-half hours later, around 10:30 pm, Tejpal is seen near the same elevator on the ground floor pulling the woman inside".
The officer said the lift was seen opening on the second floor almost after two minutes.
"The woman is seen coming out of the elevator adjusting her clothes and running down the steps as Tejpal follows her," the officer added.
The woman journalist had accused Tejpal of molesting her on November 7 and 8 during the ThinkFest event organised by the magazine.
The footage could add to the troubles of Tejpal who has been given 3 pm deadline by police to appear before them in Panaji. The journalist registered her statement before a magistrate in the city yesterday.
The journalist had complained about the incident in an email to then Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury last Monday. Ms Chaudhury resigned today.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the Goa Police had registered a case of rape and outraging modesty of woman against Tejpal, who has since stepped aside as Tehelka editor.
The CCTV footage of the area outside the elevator, in which the alleged sexual assault took place, corroborates the victim's narration, said an officer, who is part of the team investigating the footage, on the condition of anonymity.
"It is clear in the CCTV footage, dated November 7, outside the lift in Block 7 of the hotel that something went wrong in the lift," the officer said. "The footage initially shows Tejpal and the victim woman accompanying Hollywood actor Robert De Niro to the latter's room. This was around 9 pm when Tejpal is seen entering the lift with his hands on the shoulders of the young journalist," the officer said.
The officer said the lift was seen opening on the second floor almost after two minutes.
Advertisement
The woman journalist had accused Tejpal of molesting her on November 7 and 8 during the ThinkFest event organised by the magazine.
Advertisement
The journalist had complained about the incident in an email to then Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury last Monday. Ms Chaudhury resigned today.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Goa's Law And Order Deteriorating, Cops Visit Discos, Casinos: Opposition Leader Case Filed Against 3 Women For Offering Massage On Goa Beach: Cops Arrested Man Gives Cops The Slip At Mumbai Airport, Then A Dramatic Chase Windows Computers Lead To 'Blue Screen Of Death' Due To CrowdStrike Error In 1st Statement After Outage, CrowdStrike CEO Says... Woman Says Jindal Group Executive Groped Her On Flight, Naveen Jindal Reacts "Unavoidable Circumstances": India Cancels 2 Trains To Bangladesh In Pics: Bangladesh On Fire, Buildings, Vehicles Burnt Amid Ongoing Clashes Microsoft Power Outage Caused "Minor Disruptions" In 10 Banks: RBI Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.