Odisha police serves lookout notice for Sourin Bhatt in sexual harassment case

BHUBANESWAR: Trouble mounted for emerging Bollywood and Ollywood playback singer Sourin Bhatt as the Odisha police, which is searching for him in a sexual harassment case, on Monday issued a lookout circular against him after not finding him at his residence in Kolkata.

The 42-year-old Sourin is an established playback singer in Bollywood and Odia film industry.

The police started the process to arrest the singer after the High Court of Orissa rejected the plea for extension of his anticipatory bail plea in a sexual harassment case.

“After the High Court vacated the interim protection it had granted to the signer earlier, we served notice on Sourin Bhatt to depose before the investigation officer (IO). Despite several notices, he has been avoiding his presence and is not cooperating with the IO," said Cuttack deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Pinak Mishra.

“A special team had gone to Kolkata and searched for him at his residence but the team had to return empty-handed. Subsequently, we have issued a lookout notice against him through the Crime Branch. Now, he can’t go outside the country,” Mishra added.

A woman on June 12 had accused the Ollywood singer of sexually harassing her and cheating her of lakhs of rupees. A resident of Cuttack city, the complainant reportedly works in a private bank. As per her allegations, she had come in contact with the singer in 2015.

Fearing arrest, the singer had filed the anticipatory bail petition in the High Court of Orissa. On August 1, the court had granted interim protection to the singer.

The court had also directed the playback singer to cooperate in the police investigation whenever required. On August 30, the HC had rejected extension of his anticipatory bail plea and asked him to appear before the police for investigation.

Earlier on June 22, a four-member team of police had visited Sourin’s house in Kolkata but had to return empty-handed after not finding the singer.