Mumbai: Franco India Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd has denied the allegations levelled against several top officials by a 51-year-old businesswoman who had business dealings with the company. A senior official of the company, Manish Honavar, told the FPJ on Monday that the allegations were motivated and there was absolutely no truth in them. He said the company would be moving the court.
About The Case
The woman, who is in the business of supplying articles for gifting, has alleged in her FIR registered at NM Joshi Marg police station that she was sexually assaulted and threatened at gunpoint at the company’s office in Mahalaxmi on January 17, 2023. The prime accused, who is a senior official of the company, along with five others, allegedly stripped, molested and threatened her, warning that her photos and videos would be made viral on social media.
The woman first approached the Pydhonie police station in May 2025 to lodge a complaint. However, she alleged that the police treated the matter as a civil dispute and did not register an FIR. She then approached senior police officials and the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission, but claimed she received no satisfactory response. Eventually, she filed a writ petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking judicial intervention. Following the court’s direction, the NM Joshi Marg police registered an FIR on November 22.
According to the FIR, the victim, who runs a photoframe and gifting business and resides in Mahalaxmi, received a call from Honavar on January 17, 2023, asking her to visit the office of M/s Franco Indian Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd in Mahalaxmi. Upon reaching there, a man allegedly struck her on the shoulder and back with the butt of a revolver. She alleged that a senior official pulled her into his cabin, forcibly removed her burkha at gunpoint, stripped and molested her, while also verbally abusing her. He and the other accused allegedly recorded her videos and took photographs, threatening to make them viral if she did not comply.
In her complaint, the woman further stated that another official of the company forced her to give a false statement regarding the mother of another official and threatened to implicate her in a false case if she refused. Out of fear for her safety and her family’s reputation, she remained silent for a long time. As stated in her High Court petition, the lack of prompt police action emboldened the accused, who allegedly tried to intimidate her further.
Under mounting pressure and repeated threats, she finally sought the court’s intervention. The police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Information Technology Act.
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