Sexual Harassment | Hyderabad, August 23: Begumpet police have registered a case against Hotel Manohar chairman Dontanselti Venkat Manohar, 76, over allegations of sexual harassment by a woman employee.
The woman filed her complaint on August 20 against Manohar and two other employees. Police said she joined the organisation in December 2023.
According to her complaint, Manohar allegedly made inappropriate remarks about her body soon after she joined. She also alleged that he sought sexual favours when she asked for a salary increase.
The woman further alleged that Manohar threatened to withhold her salary if she left without completing the formal resignation process. She said she wanted to quit because of the alleged conduct.
She also alleged that Manohar took advantage of her financial commitments, including loan instalments. According to her complaint, he later attempted to sexually assault her.
The woman also alleged that obscene videos were played while she worked in the office. Police have taken these allegations on record as part of their investigation.
Separate Theft Complaint Also Filed
The case has a separate dimension because the hotel management had filed a theft complaint against the woman one day earlier.
Hotel Manohar HR in charge Rama Murthy V lodged the complaint on August 19. He alleged that the woman stole ₹1 lakh from a bag kept in the chairman’s office.
The woman denied the allegation in her complaint. She alleged that Manohar, Rama Murthy and IT employee Prakash forcibly held her hand during the confrontation.
She also alleged that they attempted to take her laptop and told her to leave the job. She questioned how she could have taken the money while others were present in the office.
Based on her complaint, Begumpet police registered a case under Sections 74, 78, 79, 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Meanwhile, police registered a separate case over the alleged theft under Section 306 of the BNS. Rama Murthy alleged that the woman stole ₹1 lakh from the chairman’s office bag.
He also alleged that she made false claims of sexual harassment after being questioned about the missing money. Police have registered the complaint and are examining the allegations.
The two cases involve competing allegations from the woman and the hotel management. Police are investigating both complaints separately.
Investigators are expected to examine statements, available records and other evidence relevant to the allegations. The registration of cases does not establish guilt against any of the accused.
Further action will depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation.
Now you can get the latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates and Follow us on GoogleNews
